01/09/2020 ISSUE 02

New superintendent impresses
teachers and staff. P10
‘Pearls for Hope’ aids
homeless families. P16

Virgin Trains construction
moving at full blast, but not here. P8

For breaking news visit

St. Ed’s stakeholders Former DirecTV
lobby school’s trustees CEO, wife key in
to reinstate fired coach United Way drive

BY RAY MCNULTY BY MICHELLE GENZ
Staff Writer Staff Writer

A group of St. Edward’s “stake- John’s Island’s lush foliage
and guarded gates may pro-
holders” wants the school’s tect its residents’ privacy, but
their philanthropy still pours
Board of Trustees to reinstate into the community, includ-
ing one-fourth of the $3 mil-
Bill Motta, who was the Pirates’ lion raised every year by the
local United Way. Sustaining
head football coach for a de- that stream, and enlarging
it, falls to the newly named
cade before he was fired in No- co-chairs of the John’s Island
United Way campaign, Mike
vember. and Sue White.

The group, using the SES- Fortunately, Mike White
has more than a little experi-
[email protected] ence reaching into people’s
homes to raise revenue. White
email address, is asking “par- Heavy equipment moves sand at south end of Conn Beach as part of beach replenishment project. PHOTO BY GARY FROONJIAN is the former CEO of DirecTV,
the largest pay television pro-
ents, alumni and community ‘Three hurricanes worth of sand’ added to beach vider in the world with 21 mil-
lion subscribers. White held
leaders” to electronically sign that post until his retirement

a strongly worded letter that CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

praises Motta’s impact on Accused murderer
seeks counsel from
the Pirates’ football program BY SUE COCKING From the boardwalk, the nearly 180,000 cubic yards of ex-lawman father
Staff Writer scene looks like preparations sand from Tracking Station
and players, and asks board to protect the park from a Park south to Castaway Cove. BY LISA ZAHNER
Beachgoers were taken monster storm or turn back Staff Writer
members to override outgoing aback last week when mas- an amphibious invasion. Work trucks and other
sive Sahara Desert-like sand equipment will smooth out Elisha Charles Martin sits
Head of School Mike Mersky’s dunes appeared on the beach But Indian River County of- those looming dunes and behind bars at the Indian
south of Jaycee Park, burying ficials say this state of affairs is spread them more evenly River County Jail awaiting trial
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 boardwalk stairs and ramps only temporary. It’s part of the along the beach so that Conn on first-degree murder charg-
and forming steep cliffs that long-awaited Central Beach Beach will look more like it- es for the shooting death of
MY Anonymous drop down to the shore. replenishment project that self again in another couple
VERO began in November to deposit CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
plaintiff explains CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
lawsuits’purpose

BY RAY McNULTY Portuguese man o’ war again
Staff Writer bringing pain to island beaches

The anonymous plain- BY SUE COCKING
tiff who filed public records Staff Writer
lawsuits against the county’s
school district and Sheriff’s Beware the blue-hued bulbous creatures
Office last month still won’t you may see – or fail to notice – washed
tell us who he is. up on our beaches or tumbling in the surf
over the next few months.
But he does want us to
know why he’s doing this – ’Tis the season for the bothersome Por-
the reason he’s asking a judge
to order those entities to turn CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
over the records he has re-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

January 9, 2020 Volume 13, Issue 2 Newsstand Price $1.00 New Year’s bashes
see islanders roar
News 1-10 Faith 66-67 Pets 36 TO ADVERTISE CALL into the ‘20s. P12
Arts 29-35 Games 47-49 Real Estate 69-80 772-559-4187
Books 46 Health 51-55 St. Edward’s 65
Dining 60 Insight 37-50 Style 56-59 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 44 People 11-28 Wine 61 CALL 772-226-7925

© 2020 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Portuguese man o’ war ic Institute, describes the creatures “You can get stung by an animal you out of the water when lifeguards post
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 as “colonial organisms” – individual can’t see,” Masterson said. “And the purple “stinging marine life” warning
creatures that specialize in different tentacles are active even after the ani- flags. And he says the pesky bluish
tuguese man o’ war whose stings sent functions such as defense, digestion mals are dead.” blobs could be around for awhile.
15 beachgoers rushing to lifeguard and reproduction joined together in
stations at South Beach on a recent what appears to be a single animal. Erik Toomsoo, assistant lifeguard “We can get them year-round,” he
Friday afternoon. Their diet consists of small fish and captain for the city of Vero Beach, said. “But it’s more a winter event – No-
squid, he says, and they may be food says he and his colleagues normally vember, December, January, February
The invertebrates look like jelly- for leatherback sea turtles which nest aid stung swimmers by using gloved – when we have strong south-south-
fish but are zooids that typically float on our beaches – so they do serve an hands to take the tentacles off the
around in the Gulf Stream, unable to ecological function apart from being a victim’s limbs and torso and applying easterly winds.” 
swim. They ride the seasonally strong nuisance to beachgoers. Bactine and heat packs. He said pain
onshore winds and currents of fall and usually lasts 10-15 minutes. But some Beach replenishment
winter to arrive in our local waters. The creatures’ tentacles, which con- victims with special sensitivity may CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
tain an amino-acid-based venom, av- experience shortness of breath and
Dr. James Masterson, a marine biol- erage 30 feet long but can be up to 150 require urgent medical care. of weeks, according to Brian Sullivan,
ogist at Harbor Branch Oceanograph- feet, the scientist said. spokesman for Indian River County.
Toomsoo advises beachgoers to stay
“They’re bringing in three hurri-
canes’ worth of sand,” Sullivan said of
workers repairing the erosion caused
by hurricanes Matthew, Irma and
Dorian in the past four years. Dorian
alone, which brushed by our coast in
September, was responsible for about
$7 million in erosion damage, accord-
ing to county officials.

The ongoing “Sector 5” restoration
project – using sand trucked in from
upland sources – inconveniences
some beachgoers who are being kept
away from active work sites. But Vero
Beach City Manager Monte Falls said
the area south of Jaycee Park remains
open for visitors.

Falls said the project will have to be
wrapped up before the start of sea tur-

tle nesting season in April. 

Accused murderer
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

16-year-old Logan Spencer of Sebas-
tian.

Six feet, 4 inches tall with a baby
face, Martin is just shy of his 19th
birthday, which is coming up on Jan.
26. He told police in an interview that
he just “wants to go back to being a
regular kid again,” but the chances of
that happening seem remote due to
ugly events last February.

Police say Martin drove Spencer, a
Sebastian River High School football
player, out to Fellsmere, shot him in
the head, execution style, and dumped
his body near the Stick Marsh.

Spencer’s family and friends
searched for him for three days – hop-
ing he’d just run away or gone incom-
municado – until police confirmed
the worst.

Spencer’s body was found with a
shattered skull, exposed to the ele-
ments and badly decomposed. Martin
is alleged to have committed the mur-
der three weeks after his 18th birth-
day, meaning he’ll be prosecuted as
an adult.

The story starts on a day last Feb-
ruary when, Martin said, he went to

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 3

NEWS

Crab Stop in Vero for some food, and They talk about Eli’s bank accounts Sgt. Martin reminds his son the jail you know, if you get a death sentence,
left $10,000 cash in his vehicle and the having been seized and Milton Mar- is taping all his phone conversations you’ll go to Raiford. Raiford is up in
car door unlocked. In the short time tin matter-of-factly advises his son and advises him not to say anything Osceola, it’s northwest Florida. It’s near
he was in the restaurant, the cash, pre- how to ask the guards about getting on a call that should be kept within Gainesville,” Sgt. Martin said. “Now if
sumed to be drug money, was stolen. his personal effects released to him. attorney-client privilege. They talk you’re convicted of first-degree murder
He assures Eli that he would treasure about the Florida prison system and and you do not have a death sentence,
That’s where Spencer comes into the the personal items that were on his where Eli might end up should he be then you would not go to Raiford. You
picture. After the popular high school son when he got arrested, especially convicted. would go to one of the other ones.”
student’s body was found, police ques- the jewelry, saying the keepsakes
tioned Martin multiple times, gradu- would mean a lot to him. “If you get convicted on what you’re Sgt. Martin encouraged his son to
ally zeroing in on him as a suspect – in being charged, as far as first-degree,
part because, according to the arrest CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
affidavit, “Martin was seen on video
surveillance picking up the missing ju-
venile on Feb. 18, 2019 from the miss-
ing juvenile’s girlfriend’s house and
that was the last time anyone heard
from the missing juvenile until his
body was discovered on Feb. 21, 2019.”

NEWS ANALYSIS

Initially arrested on charges of pos-
session of marijuana with intent to
distribute and making false state-
ments to a law enforcement officer,
Martin was later charged with Spen-
cer’s murder as evidence mounted
against him, including ballistics re-
ports tying a weapon belonging to him
to the crime. Martin told police Spen-
cer was a friend of sorts, a kid who
liked to hang out with him and smoke
weed – an underling or a lackey.

On Oct. 22, Martin was indicted by
a grand jury, upping the severity of
the charges to first-degree murder.
He faces serious consequences if con-
victed, up to and including the death
penalty.

While locked up awaiting trial, Mar-
tin has made phone calls to family
members – calls that were recorded by
detectives, logged into evidence and
released as part of discovery docu-
ments to Martin’s defense attorneys.

One call to his dad, retired Vero
Beach Police Sgt. Milton Martin,
seemed revealing to police. Detec-
tives marked the call “important” be-
cause Martin says in the call he can’t
believe he did it – without specifying
exactly what “it” was.

On the collect call, placed at a rate
of 26 cents per minute, father and
son talk about taking responsibil-
ity for actions. They also talk about
prison, the death penalty and how to
navigate life behind bars.

“I can’t be your daddy in there and
run around checking on you inside.
They get upset about that,” Milton
Martin tells his son about the Indian
River County Jail, which likely will be
the younger Martin’s home for the
next few years until trial.

The jail is also the elder Martin’s
workplace. After his law enforcement
career ended, Martin became a Regis-
tered Nurse and now works for Sheriff
Deryl Loar treating inmates at the jail.

4 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Accused murderer John’s Island resident Mike White. a chunk from their cash reserves to White recently donated $1 million
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 benefit the larger community. to Boston College High School, a por-
PHOTO BY KAILA JONES tion of which will fund a leadership
not get “gloomy doomy” as he adjusts Driving Mike White’s efforts is his institute at the 150-year-old Catholic
to his new reality. But he told him he “for what is a very important residen- deep-seated belief in the Jesuit teach- all-boys prep school.
needs to get past any delusions that tial community to us.” ings of his alma mater, Boston College
life will ever be the same as it once was. and its affiliated prep school Boston “I’ve always been pretty passionate
The campaign, which gets underway College High. “The Jesuits talk about about leadership,” he says.
“That is your world now,” he said this month, continues through March, seeing God in all things. I call it being a
about Eli being in prison. when past donors who haven’t given person for others,” White says. “The best leaders are no more than
yet bubble up in the charity’s last- 60 percent confident and 40 percent
In a heartbreaking part of the con- minute analysis. That’s when chairper- In his career, that “person for others” humble. That’s a tricky balance. You’ve
versation, the elder Martin confesses sons start orchestrating run-ins at the philosophy has translated to a focus on got to have enough confidence to
a bittersweet sense of relief to his club, and seemingly casual phone calls good leadership, a subject he has ad- push forward, but always with humil-
troubled son. quickly get down to business. dressed in news interviews and lectures ity. You have to know how to connect
at graduate business schools. At Di- with people, first of all. And with tech-
“You know what? You ain’t gonna On that score, Mike White is expert. recTV, he started an annual leadership nology changing and disruption going
like me saying this, but I feel better On his watch, DirecTV took 140 mil- seminar that included workers from ev- on so fast, the humility piece is also
with you being there than being out lion calls a year, for everything from ery level, patterned after a similar pro- about knowing what you don’t know.”
on the street. I sleep better. I know installation orders to tech support. gram at PepsiCo, where he held senior
that’s (expletive)-ed up. Because I “I considered those calls our quality management positions for 20 years. The leadership institute at B.C. High
know you’re safe where you are,” he control,” he says. will bring in outside speakers and
said. “I’m not saying I’m happy you’re White expects he will be one; he gave
in the position you are, I’m just talk- In John’s Island, of course, the calls the commencement address there two
ing about you being in jail. That’s how will go the other direction, with the years ago.
much I used to worry about you, dude. Whites cajoling neighbors to carve out
More than half of the million-dollar
“I love you so much. Stay strong,” donation will go toward financial aid,
another of his philanthropic priorities;
Sgt. Martin concluded the call.  he has made even larger gifts toward
scholarships at Boston College and
Staff writer Nick Samuel contribut- Johns Hopkins University, where he
ed to this report earned a B.A. and a master’s degree,
respectively.
Former DirecTV CEO
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 White, the oldest of eight children,
grew up in a Boston suburb. His father,
in 2015, when DirecTV merged with also a Boston College alum, was a law-
AT&T in a $67 billion deal. yer who served two terms in the State
House. But he died young, leaving his
“To step up and do this is no small wife to manage not only the large fam-
thing. It’s their name and their per- ily alone but a career in teaching.
sonalization, even though they may
not know everybody, they’re the ones White had a double major at Boston
who make all the communications College: English literature and Russian
and all the solicitations,” said United studies. He had two years of Russian at
Way CEO Michael Kint, adding that B.C. High and was fluent by the time
most of the chapter’s highest-level do- he was an exchange student in St. Pe-
nors live in John’s Island. tersburg, Russia, then called Lenin-
grad, as a Ford Foundation fellow, one
The Whites are taking responsibility of only 29 American students invited.

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 5

NEWS

international relations, he had a sum- He worked next at Bain and Com- partner. I’m not that smart in certain president and CEO of PepsiCo’s Frito-
mer internship at the CIA before de- pany, again in business consulting, areas. And the travel was killing, with Lay division in Europe, Africa and the
ciding it wasn’t the career for him. He but this time he worked directly under three kids at home. So, I started look- Middle East, he finally used his Rus-
tried business consulting at Arthur Mitt Romney, whom he admires great- ing around again.” sian again, in the speech he wrote to
Andersen, earning a CPA through the ly and loved working for, he says. open the first-ever potato chip fac-
company. But after rising to manager, He ended up first at Avon, head- tory in Moscow – the mushroom-fla-
he knew he didn’t want to be a partner. “I was a manager, but candidly, I ing up a perfume division, then five
knew I probably wasn’t going to be a years later, went to PepsiCo. There, as CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Former DirecTV CEO The stunt included him gamely Turns out, the malfunction was who is expected to run for re-election,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 getting up on a roof to install a dish. not the DirecTV but the Wi-Fi com- or derail the candidacy of Sheriff’s
While his ineptitude earned him the ponent of their smart home technol- Maj. Eric Flowers, who is seeking the
vored chips were a huge hit. ire of the woman who believed she ogy; even the electronic shutters re- agency’s top job.
“Before that, the Soviet Union had was training him, her patience earned fused to rise.
her a spot as the first installation tech In a lengthy interview conducted
no potato chips, zero. And they loved in White’s newly formed leadership With his wife futilely waving a gild- online last weekend, the “John Doe”
them,” says White. “Not every country seminar, patterned after the training ed remote at various black screens, using the email address savevero-
does.” at PepsiCo. the man who once had to worry about [email protected] – the plaintiff who
the TVs of 26 million customers was filed both lawsuits – told me his deci-
White eventually took over Pepsi- As for his own media consumption, trying to describe the failure to two sion to go to court was in no way po-
Co’s international division as CEO in White says he watches very little TV, vanloads of technicians fanning out litically motivated.
2003. “It was my dream job,” he said. “mostly sports and ‘60 Minutes.’” through the house.
“I always wanted international.” “I am far from anything like that,”
What he does watch is YouTube, “It’s a little infuriating to come home he said. “I don’t care about politics.”
It was at PepsiCo that White grasped specifically video piano lessons. He and find nothing works,” said White.
the value of good leadership training. plays on average an hour a day, mostly In fact, the mysterious plaintiff said
PepsiCo held training sessions every jazz improvisation of late, and a grand By week’s end, all the TVs worked but he was upset last week when he read
summer for a week, and they included piano has normally been the center- one – the main one, of course. Even a in this newspaper a story suggesting
internationally known speakers “from piece of the couple’s living room. newly installed modem wasn’t working. he might be a political operative work-
Bush to Thatcher to Kissinger.” ing against Flowers, who is named as a
At the moment, however, the piano’s “I guess we’ll be trying a new com- defendant in one lawsuit and is prom-
In 2010, a headhunter herded White usual spot is covered with cardboard inently mentioned in the other.
toward the CEO post at DirecTV. It was to protect the floor while the Whites’ pany,” Sue White said ruefully. 
an entirely new direction, but also home goes through a second phase of “Eric Flowers is not the common
the challenge of a lifetime, running a renovation. My Vero thread,” he said, adding that it soon
whole company. will become obvious that Flowers’ in-
That renovation, begun while the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 volvement in both lawsuits was little
Coming in as a novice wasn’t easy, Whites were away on Cape Cod, in- more than a coincidence.
but White, a quick study and a vora- cluded some changes to their home quested but hasn’t received.
cious reader, is also apparently up for electronics. And it’s not what you think. He did not elaborate, and because he
anything. When DirecTV’s P.R. people His mission, he said, is not to dig up chooses to remain anonymous, there’s
suggested he appear on the TV show One might think the former CEO of no way to verify that what he said about
“Undercover Boss,” he genuinely felt DirecTV would be spared having TVs dirt on anyone. It’s not to help or hurt his motives is true. He did file these law-
the experience would help him un- on the fritz. But that’s what greeted the any of the candidates campaigning suits, however, and he agreed to an on-
derstand the company he led. Whites last week when they returned for local office. It’s not to embarrass the-record chat. So, at this point, I have
to Vero after the holidays. School Board member Tiffany Justice, no good reason to not believe him.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 7

NEWS

Also, there was no hesitation when the agency, but he said the encounter itself is a big part of this whole thing. ing of staff members, we believe this
I asked this “John Doe” plaintiff what made him curious about other local It’s my right to remain this way. It particular decision has broader stra-
prompted him to hire a lawyer and go government entities. doesn’t matter if these municipalities tegic implications and question the
to court, knowing he can’t be awarded or officials don’t like it. board’s knowledge and oversight over
monetary damages, since Florida law “That got me wondering if this was this matter.”
allows him to be reimbursed only for the norm,” he said. “So, I started ask- “The question that should be asked
his attorney’s fees and administrative ing more questions, and the resistance is: If they can violate these basic rights, The group stated news of Motta’s
costs. I was met with was bizarre.” what bigger issues are going on that firing was “unsettling” and that its
members were “perplexed” by Mer-
He said he has serious concerns He said he also experienced rude we don’t know about?”  sky’s decision to “remove one of the
about how our local government of- treatment and resistance when mak- most respected and honored coaches
ficials and agencies conduct the peo- ing similar records requests from St. Ed’s football coach in SES history.”
ple’s business, particularly when it other agencies in the county, as well CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
comes to providing the public records as in some of its municipalities. Across Contacted by email, the group’s or-
we need to hold them accountable, the board, he said, the “attitudes and decision to dump the beloved coach. ganizers told Vero Beach 32963 they
and he’s taking a stand. resistance” he encountered were dis- After firing Motta, Mersky, who did not want to comment on their re-
turbing. instatement campaign until the board
“There are things that occur in this plans to retire July 1, refused to explain responded to their letter.
county that the citizens need to know “The common denominator was his decision, instead issuing a Nov. 19
about,” he said during our keyboard they all demanded my name and news release in which he stated that Local attorney Kevin Barry, chair-
conversation, “since our taxes pay the phone number, and most wanted to he felt “it was time to re-evaluate the man of the St. Edward’s board, did not
salaries of these people.” know why I wanted the record,” the direction of football at the school.” return a phone message left at his of-
plaintiff said. “I couldn’t believe it. I fice Friday.
Too often, the plaintiff said, these then began this quest for truth and Clearly, not everyone in the St. Ed-
officials and agencies resisted – and right.” ward’s community agrees with Mer- Motta, meanwhile, said he was
sometimes refused – his requests to sky’s assessment. aware of the letter – former players
see records to which the public is le- Under Chapter 119 of the Florida told him they had received the group’s
gally entitled, and that frustrated him. Statutes, any record made or received “As parents of current and past stu- email – but hadn’t seen it. He said
by any public agency in the course dents, alumni and community lead- he did not know who organized the
What moved him to action, howev- of its official business is available for ers (collectively ‘stakeholders’), we are campaign to bring him back to St. Ed-
er, was the shabby way he was treated public inspection, unless specifical- disappointed with this course of ac- ward’s.
when he made his initial requests. ly exempted by the Legislature. The tion and the manner in which it was
plaintiff’s cases have been assigned to handled,” the letter to the board reads. “My guess would be that it was
The plaintiff said he had made a Circuit Judge Janet Croom. started by some parents, players, for-
public records request “for a simple “While we understand a headmas- mer players and alumni, because I’ve
thing,” only to be laughed at by a As for why the plaintiff chose to hide ter’s discretion over the hiring and fir- had about 100 former players reach
“very rude” clerk. He did not identify his identity, he said, “The anonymity
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

8 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

MASSIVE CONSTRUCTION CRANE
ONLY SIGN IN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
OF VIRGIN TRAINS CONSTRUCTION

BY GEORGE ANDREASSI
Staff Writer

Virgin Trains USA contractors are go- tracks in Indian River County for the
ing great guns in Palm Beach and Bre- $2.4 billion extension of Virgin Trains
vard Counties, working to extend the passenger rail service between Orlan-
high-speed passenger rail line fromWest do International Airport and the exist-
Palm Beach to Orlando, but not much is ing train station in West Palm Beach.
happening in Indian River County.
Virgin Trains started service be-
The only significant sign of the vast tween Miami and West Palm Beach in
construction project here so far is 2018 and says it expects to start run-
a massive construction crane that’s ning 34 trains between Miami and Or-
been deployed near the railroad tracks lando by the end of 2022.
in Roseland to handle the heavy lifting
when work gets underway to replace VTUSA is improving the Florida
the 93-year-old St. Sebastian River East Coast Railway tracks from West
Railroad Bridge. Palm Beach to Cocoa to accommodate
trains traveling up to 110 mph.
Virgin Trains contractors recently
cleared and graded the land along the At the same time, Virgin Trains con-
tracks in Roseland and built a gravel tractors have been working full blast
base for the crane where the railroad
bridge touches down on the bluffs
overlooking the river.

But that’s the only sign of construc-
tion activity so far along the train

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 9

NEWS

for several months on new elevated VTUSA contractors also have been tors have been working intermittently of railroad ties, rows of rails, piles of
railroad tracks along State Road 528/ busy for several months clearing and on several crossings, leaving them all in gravel, poured-concrete signal foun-
Beachline Expressway between Orlan- grading the FECR right-of-way and various stages of construction. dations and utility cable spools line
do International Airport and Cocoa. improving railroad crossings in north- the tracks near railroad crossings
ern Palm Beach County. Indian River County residents can from the train maintenance facility in
Virgin Trains will connect the up- expect a similar construction pattern West Palm Beach to Frederick Small
graded FECR tracks to the new elevat- Rather than concentrating on one or starting in mid-2020.
ed tracks in Cocoa. two crossings at a time,VTUSA contrac- Road in Jupiter. 
Construction equipment, stacks

10 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

New superintendent impresses high school teachers and staff

BY FEDERICO MARTINEZ schools he visited that day to share his everything,” Moore said. “We already with applause by employees at Vero
Staff Writer vision for the district he was hired in know the suspension rates are not [eq- Beach High School. Several teachers
December to lead. uitable between black and white stu- and counselors said Moore’s message
“My purpose is to tell you who I am, dents], and our proficiency rates have was inspiring and reassuring.
what my goals are, what drives me, High among his priorities are gain- been stagnant for several years.
and how I want to connect and pull ing an “A” grade for the district from “I really can’t recall anything the
us all together,” new School District the state in the next five years – the “I’m willing to be evaluated by my previous superintendent ever said,”
Superintendent David Moore told fac- current grade is a “B” – and conduct- walk and actions ... One thing I will not one veteran teacher admitted. “There
ulty and staff gathered Monday at Vero ing School District business in a trans- waiver in is my belief that by our inter- wasn’t that enthusiasm or energy.”
Beach High School. parent way. actions with students we can change
lives.” Moore spoke to returning teachers at
Vero Beach High was one of three “I’m going to show everything to Sebastian River High School and Trea-
our community – the good, the bad, Moore’s comments were greeted sure Coast Elementary on Monday as
well. The all-hands-on-deck talks with
school staffs are part of an ambitious
outreach program aimed at school em-
ployees and the community at large.

Moore plans to deliver Monday’s
message at all 21 of the district’s schools
and Treasure Coast Technical College
during the month of January. He’s also
scheduled two community town hall
meetings this month, from 6 p.m. to 7:30
p.m. on Jan. 16 and Jan. 23 at the school

district administration building. 

St. Ed’s football coach
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

out to me since I was fired,” Motta
said. “This much I do know – I’m not
part of it, and I don’t think it would be
appropriate for me to be a part of it.”

However, Motta said he “certainly
would consider” returning to St. Ed-
ward’s if the job is offered. He said he
has received offers to be a coordinator
or position coach at other schools, but
most of them would require him to
leave Vero Beach.

“I’m not saying that I wouldn’t move
if the right situation came along, but
I’d rather not,” he said. “At this point,
I haven’t done anything that can’t be
undone.”

The group’s email began circulating
throughout the St. Edward’s commu-
nity on New Year’s Eve.

A copy of the letter to the Board of
Trustees was attached to the email,
which asked recipients to forward the
message to “past players, alumni and
anyone that would be in support of
this effort.”

The letter states the board should
have been involved in deciding Mot-
ta’s fate because of the importance of
his program on campus.

“As stakeholders of this institution,
are we to expect programs commit-
ted to leadership, integrity and ac-
countability are no longer welcomed
at SES?” the letter asks. “Is this the ad-
ministration’s ‘new direction?’

“The Board of Trustees needs to act
on such a pivotal strategic decision and

for the long-term benefit of SES.” 

Caitlin Dizon
and Izzy Dizon.

REVELERS ROAR INTO THE ’20S
AT ISLAND NEW YEAR’S BASHES

12 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Revelers roar into the ’20s at island New Year’s bashes

Leah Messler and Nathaniel Simon. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Palthiel Bristol and Rose Laguerre. Tim Hanlin and Elizabeth Rota.

Christian Haugland, Juliet Haugland, Wyndee Harp and David Haugland. Kathy Popovich with Keith and Julie Thompson and Elizabeth Coleman.
PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF shimmering headgear, some folks
Staff Writer got in several thousand steps as they
traversed from one hot spot to the
The barrier island was the place next along Ocean Drive.
to be as Vero Beach residents and
visitors alike said farewell to 2019 Those wishing to go farther afield
and welcomed in what many hope visited the New Year Escape Room
will be the roaring ’20s. at the Indian River State College
Brackett Library during the day, or
The fun bubbled over on the laced up their skates and spun cir-
beach, as revelers dined and then cles around the outgoing year at the
toasted in the New Year poolside at Skate Factory, while all of the main-
Costa d’Este Beach Resort & Spa or land breweries and restaurants had
danced the night away at the Vero plenty of fun on tap as well.
Beach Hotel & Spa’s Cobalt Bar. A
younger crowd gathered at such No matter where they gathered
places as Grind + Grape and the with friends and family to ring in the
Bungalow Bar to say “Cheers!” to New Year, the overall consensus was
2020. that while 2019 would always hold
some nostalgic memories, it was
Clad in their New Year’s finery, time for everyone to turn their sights
complete with blinking glasses and toward an even better 2020. 



14 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 Tony and Barbara Stamps with Jane Carvelli and Tommy Kines.
Marcia Heck and Ada McCarran Hay.

Jayme Cunningham, Mary Cunningham and Christine Moir. Emily Sparks and Jennifer Sparks. John and Penny Eshleman with Cindy Clark and Mike Mishler.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 15

PEOPLE

ELC was place to be for ‘WinterGreen Night Lights’

BY KERRY FIRTH
Correspondent

The Environmental Learning Cen- Kathryn Redner and Barbara Schlitt Ford with Matt Lechowicz and Teresa Plumer. Ginger Heller with Sophie Fischer and Nancy Puglio.
ter opened its 64-acre campus to visi- Scarlett and Cheyenne Clohessy. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Caroline Roth and Chloe Secunda.
tors for a nighttime walk on the wild sions, where paddlers had the added
side, complete with bonfires, hikes, beetles showed off their distinctive pleasure of gliding through mangrove
canoe tours, hands-on arts and crafts, green glow, to the delight of the hikers. tunnels lined with holiday lights.
touch tank experiences and sunset
pontoon boat rides, all enhanced by “The girls glow to attract a mate,” While the WinterGreen Night Lights
thousands of holiday lights and lumi- whispered naturalist guide Sara Piot- Festival happens only once a year, the
naries to illuminate the way. The an- ter. “Since there are three or four of Environmental Learning Center is
nual WinterGreen Night Lights Festi- them flashing right in this area, there open Tuesday through Sunday, and
val was expanded to three nights this must be a male nearby and the com- regularly hosts events, boat tours,
year due to the enormous popularity petition is fierce. Lucky for us, we get hikes, lectures and classes, connect-
of the event. to see the show.” ing people with nature and empower-
ing them to become active stewards of
Entering the Visitors Center, guests While hundreds enjoyed the family the environment.
were treated to a “Recycled Plastics activities on land, others were hap-
– Mixed Media” art show created by pily exploring nature on the water. For more information, visit www.
Vero Beach Art Club members that The sunset pontoon boat tours sold discoverelc.org. 
featured artwork created from recy- out quickly as did the canoe excur-
cled plastics.

“Plastic is free, and there is an end-
less supply,” explained artist Leigh
Bennett. “Working with plastic is a te-
dious task, because it is three-dimen-
sional and requires cutting, painting,
gluing and piecing together an art
form. But the end result is pleasing
and it keeps the plastic out of the land-
fill and away from the wildlife.”

Bells were ringing thanks to 10
members of the First United Method-
ist Church Hand Bell Choir, who en-
tertained visitors and put everyone in
the holiday mood.

Once outside, many followed the
path to the Children’s Playscape,
weaving through the twig trail and
walking through a stand of life-size
bamboo wind chimes making their
own music. Visitors could also hold
imaginary tea parties in the fairy gar-
den, or roast S’mores while swapping
stories around a roaring bonfire.

Others ran to the Discovery Station
and Touch Tank Experience, where
they could hold starfish and sea ur-
chins and learn about the marine life
living in our diverse Indian River La-
goon. In the room next door, young-
sters enjoyed making their own greet-
ing cards and ornaments, diving into
a pile of Florida ‘snow’ constructed
from recycled newspaper, and tossing
snowballs of recycled plastic.

The more adventurous types were
treated to a unique nighttime hike
through the mangrove forest, with no
artificial lights at all. Walking in dark-
ness and silence, explorers listened
intently for the soft sounds of nature
and kept their eyes peeled for the elu-
sive bioluminescent beetle that lives
in mud burrows beneath the man-
groves. As if on cue, a few of the lady

16 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Pearls for Hope’: Families receive priceless support

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

Because of their lustrous beauty, Mariclare Beggy, Diana Grossi and Jeanine Hammond. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Noting that the earrings’ silicone
pearls have been thought to offer pro- backings were designed for the U.S.
tection, strengthen relationships and thousands of dollars, donated by a sort of focus group to determine Olympic swim team, he added, “I al-
keep children safe. The same can be Brennan. which designs were more likely to sell. ways say that if you’re going to go to
said of the Hope for Families Center, the beach for a swim, don’t forget your
which recently hosted a ‘Pearls for During lunch, Brennan shared in- “And in exchange for doing that, we pearls. It reminds them of home; that’s
Hope’ Christmas Luncheon at Bent sights into the pearl industry with give away $1.2 million a year in pearl where they came from.”
Pine Golf Club. an informative talk about his busi- gifts and prizes,” said Brennan. As a
ness, which supplies pearls globally thank-you, each guest was gifted a Diana Grossi, HFC executive direc-
“We know we’re not the sexiest char- to luxury retailers. About 13 years ago, beautiful pair of pearl earrings, the tor, said the event was a way to thank
ity in town, but what we do for people he said they began offering groups same ones retailers would sell for up- supporters for their generosity, and to
who have no hope, to give them hope, a chance to view pearl selections as wards of $250. ask them to remember HFC families
is mindboggling,” said longtime HFC at Christmas.
board member Sue Scully, as guests
began arriving. “Have you ever heard the old saying
‘No man is an island’? That saying is
Prior to enjoying a delicious repast actually true, because when we be-
of crab cakes atop a mixed green salad, come successful, we usually achieve
guests were offered the opportunity to success because of someone or people
shop for a vast assortment of gorgeous
pearl jewelry, including necklaces,
bracelets, earrings and rings offered
by Mike Brennan, CEO of the Interna-
tional Pearl Group.

Many also purchased raffle tick-
ets in hopes of winning a selection of
stunning pearl jewelry pieces worth

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 17

PEOPLE

Caitlin Hammond and Ali Hammond. Connie Murphy, Becky Torbin and Carla Boardman. Julie Douglas, Cheryl Narum and Barbara Rigby.

Susan Kiley and Sheila Marshall. Helen Post and Lydia Lander. Erika Dietzel and Sam Hall.

Emily McDonough, Nancy Hardy and Roz Cline.

who have helped us. Hope for Fami- “All of our children will have gifts
lies has succeeded because all of you at their doorways when they get up
have helped, and I want to thank you on Christmas morning. We will have
for that,” said Grossi. food, which all of us can celebrate
with them. We are their family for the
“For many of us, the upcoming holidays,” said Grossi, adding that she
Christmas holiday will be a great time hoped others would consider donat-
of celebration of family and friends, ing during this time of giving.
but that isn’t always true for the
homeless. They don’t have their own “Your monetary gift will allow us to
Christmas tree to put up; they don’t provide over 100 families who come
have the money to buy their children through our shelter each year with the
what they wish for. Often they do not support and services to get them into
have a family to gather with and share their own housing, so that they can
the celebration together.” celebrate all future holidays together
as a family.”
Grossi said local churches, groups
and individuals have donated gifts and For more information, visit hopefor-
food so that shelter residents might familiescenter.org. 
have the best Christmas possible.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Dasie Hope Wreaths & Wine toasts ongoing ‘Miracle’

Verna Wright with Tim and Laura Zorc. Warren Schwerin, Kamara Simon and Kimberly Wright. Denise Smith, Cassandra Hendley and Carmel Bryant Graham. PHOTOS: MARY SCHENKEL

BY MARY SCHENKEL Arriving guests sipped wine while “I’m sure each of you knows the ing the cycle of poverty.
Staff Writer visiting with one another and bid- reason you’re here: to support the Dasie Hope provides quality af-
ding on a large assortment of donat- Dasie Hope kids and all we do for
The Dasie Bridgewater Hope ed silent auction items and beau- them,” said board member Cassan- terschool and summer academ-
Center glittered with a red and tifully decorated wreaths, some dra Hendley. “Fundraisers like this ic and recreational programs to
gold motif and festive Christmas donated by local florists and others are what helps keep smiles on their roughly 100 children from kinder-
decorations during its fourth an- created by Lois Harding, a Dasie faces all through the year.” garten through high school. Stu-
nual Wreaths and Wine fundrais- Hope staff member. dents are tutored in classrooms and
ing event to support the nonprofit, The Wabasso-based nonprofit a STEM (Science, Technology, Engi-
deemed: “The Miracle on 64th Av- Before dinner, Kamara Simon, founded by Verna Wright in 2001 to neering, Math) lab.
enue: A safe place for children to a very poised young lady, took the honor the memory of her mother,
envision their future and create a stage, delighting the audience with Dasie Bridgewater, strives daily to Extracurricular activities and
productive life for themselves.” the presentation of a humorous promote learning and education, social skills training are also en-
monologue called, “The Present.” recognizing it as the key to break- couraged as additional methods of
broadening their chances for suc-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 19

PEOPLE

cess. Students are involved with our students will learn how to do a run those businesses for two hours. and pork tenderloin with a pumpkin
various cultural outreach pro- proper handshake,” said Wright. Whoever collects the most points sauce, concluding with tasty des-
grams, such as at Riverside Theatre, along the way will win the Amazing serts, created by Emily Duval and
where they took part this past year “They’re also going to learn mock Handshake.” Joy Tomes, with earlier assistance
performing on the Stark Stage in business operations. A competi- from Kenny Porazzo of Quail Valley
Disney’s “The Lion King Kids.” tion will eliminate kids after each Guests at the event enjoyed a Golf Club.
round, and at least two will get to go mouthwatering buffet featuring
“In January we’re going to start to two businesses – Craft Stop and chicken Marsala, mushroom risot- For more information, visit dasie-
our Amazing Handshake, where Pineapple Joe’s. They’re going to to, shrimp and grits with marinara, hope.org. 

20 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Kids’ Holiday Cheer Tour strikes chord with patients

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Sara DiPardo, Fellsmere Elemen- People forget that everyone needs a
Staff Writer tary music teacher, first took her little holiday cheer,” she added.
faces as they sang festive songs third-, fourth- and fifth-grade stu-
A group of boys and girls from the throughout the main hospital, dents caroling three years ago, when “Everybody needs a moment to get
Fellsmere Elementary School Uku- Scully-Welsh Cancer Center and the her grandmother, Marianne Hinz, away mentally from the physical pain
lele Club recently strummed their Health & Wellness Center. We en- was in a nursing home, seeing it as a or whatever is going on in their life
way into the hearts of patients, staff joyed their visit and look forward to way to spread some joy. right now. Music is the perfect way
and visitors at Cleveland Clinic In- hosting them again next year.” to reach somebody. They remember
dian River Hospital during their “We spent more time on the bus singing that song with their loved
third annual Holiday Cheer Tour. traveling from nursing home to ones, or dancing to it as an elementary
nursing home than we did singing school student, or just watching these
The little darlings gave everyone that first year,” said DiPardo. “So the kids.”
a good dose of holiday cheer, which second year, we stopped to visit my
was just what the doctor ordered. grandmother before coming to the DiPardo received a classroom set of
Having to be in the hospital over hospital. It was so much fun, because ukuleles this year, which has enabled
the holidays is a little like getting we got to sing to so many people.” the students to take their performance
coal in your stocking, so the ukulele to the next level.
playing combined with sweet, an- DiPardo has several personal con-
gelic voices brightened everyone’s nections to CCIRH – her husband is “We practice twice a week in the
day. employed there, her mother is one of morning before school. All these kids
its longest-standing employees, and volunteer to come in early to school to
“The caregivers and patients at DiPardo and her children were all practice with the ukuleles. We’re for-
Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hos- born there. tunate that our administration sees
pital truly appreciated the carolers how important it is, not just for the
from Fellsmere Elementary,” said Although recognizing that holi- people we are singing to, but for the
Angela Dickens, vice president of days are an especially lonely time kids to see and experience this too.”
marketing and community rela- of year for patients in the hospital,
tions. DiPardo hadn’t realized how far- In addition to the children all get-
reaching their visit would be. ting a big check mark in Santa’s good
“They helped to spread holiday column, they were treated to a picnic
cheer and brought smiles to many “The employees and visitors en- lunch at Riverview Park in Sebastian,
joyed our performance as well. compliments of Mo-Bay Grill. 



22 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

The Force is with jubilant kids at ‘Shop with a Cop’

Rafael Dieguez, Mariana Maldonado with Florangel Cardenas. Eliyah and Trevon Johnson with Maj. Milo Thornton. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

BY MARY SCHENKEL midst of the annual Shop with a Cop Escorted by police cars with lights ence extraordinaire.
Staff Writer Indian River event. flashing and sirens blaring, about The officers and their young
150 children, ages 6 to 14, were
The puzzled expressions on the It’s one of the happiest days of bused to the Walmart in shifts – one charges were all smiles as they got
faces of shoppers at the Sebastian the year for the children, as well as group from the IRC Sheriff’s Office off the buses and were paired up,
Walmart as they spied an over- for participating members of the and a second from the Sebastian before pushing shopping carts past
whelming presence of law enforce- county’s law enforcement agencies, City Hall – where they were paired a gauntlet of cheering Walmart em-
ment personnel quickly turned into Florida Fish and Wildlife, Florida with an officer and given a $100 gift ployees. Even Santa was on hand to
grins when told they were in the Highway Patrol and the Forestry certificate for a shopping experi- greet the young shoppers as they
Division. pursued gifts for themselves, fam-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 23

PEOPLE

ily members, friends and even their school resource officers, teachers and “I have enjoyed seven years of worked for and retired from the
pets. administrators as needing a help- cheerful joy; it just makes me so IRCSO, was assisted this year by
ing hand during the holiday season. happy every year,” said ‘head elf’ Jera Payton of the IRC Sheriff’s Of-
“These are all my kids; when I win Walmart grants, fundraisers such Roberta Barker, a Sebastian Police fice, and said she will be handing
the lottery, I’m going to take care as Christmas in July, and donations Department school resource offi- the job over to other SPD and IRCSO
of all of them,” said IRCSO Deputy from individuals and civic groups cer. personnel, adding, “It’s been heart-
Teddy Floyd with a big smile. provide funding for the gift cards. warming but it’s time to retire.” 
Barker, who had previously
The youngsters are identified by

24 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 Sherrod Williams.
Jera Payton and Roberta Barker.

IRCSO Dep. Teddy Floyd and Heather Copithorne. Jamie, Jayden and Leroy Brown. Ruby Hilliard and Kinsley Owen.

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26 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Youth Guidance Holiday Party: Presents, and bright future

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

The Youth Guidance Mentoring Edward Diaz and his daughters. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Sue Hunt, Jenna Thompson and Holly Forde.
Academy was overflowing with col-
orful decorations and plenty of hap- As visitors moved through the “We paid for it outright,” said “With the capital campaign, some
py faces at its recent Holiday Open facility’s rabbit warren of rooms Hunt. “For this capital campaign, of these walls will be knocked down
House. The families of children al- and corridors, Sue Hunt, YG pub- we’re going to try to raise $1 mil- to make it less of a maze; more func-
ready in the program were joined by lic relations specialist, spoke about lion. We need more flexible space.” tional,” explained board member
potential enrollees looking to reap their new ‘Shaping Brighter Fu- Kim Prado. She noted such changes
the benefits of the mentoring rela- tures Building Campaign’ to raise Hunt noted that a more efficient would create a large, multi-purpose
tionships and after-school activities funds to renovate and remodel facility would enable them to bet- room that could be partitioned off
offered by the nonprofit. the 58-year-old, 8,000-square-foot ter serve their existing clientele and as needed.
building they purchased in 2017. eventually increase the number of
Santa and Mrs. Claus were hon- children in the program. Additionally, space would be
ored guests at the festive event,
during which youngsters in the pro-
gram were each given individual-
ized gifts donated by generous lo-
cal businesses, including a number
of shiny new bicycles, and poten-
tial newcomers were given bags of
goodies to take home.

For more than four decades,
Youth Guidance has been enriching
the lives of children in kindergarten
through 12th grade who come from
low-income, single-parent homes in
Indian River County.

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 27

PEOPLE

designated for S.T.E.A.M. (Science, privacy fencing would allow an out- dent dining hall. roof and HVAC system, purchasing
Technology, Engineering, Arts and door play area. “Every day the children get a nu- hurricane shutters or impact win-
Math) activities, academic en- dows and a security system, and re-
richment tutoring, an art studio, a “This is one of the big areas we tritious meal before they go to the painting the building’s interior and
computer lab and a graphic design need to raise money for,” said Hunt, programs,” said Hunt. “When we exterior.
room, as well as offices and meet- pointing out their current ineffi- have leftovers, they can take it home
ing rooms. Outside, the addition of cient kitchen. The goal is to make it to their families.” For more information, visit youth-
into a teaching kitchen with a stu- guidanceprogram.org. 
Plans also include replacing the

28 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

St. Nicks move double quick in ‘Run, Run Santa’ dash

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

A sack of Santas showed that Kris Emily Escoto.
Kringle’s girth couldn’t hold them back
during the third annual Run Run Santa Karen and Bill Penney with The Grinch. Holly Campeau with son Emerson. The Grinch made an appearance
1-mile fun run. mid-race, attempting to suck out all the
PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Kimberly Oglethorpe, Ray Oglethorpe and Kailee Webster. holiday cheer, but the Santas gave the
More than 500 runners – ranging rascal a run for his money and his heart
from age 2 to 85 and from as far away grew and grew with the joy of the com-
as Hawaii and Canada – left their sacks munity.
of toys back in the North Pole as they
ho-ho-ho’d their way from Pocahontas Many runners also participated in
Park through historic downtown Vero the Viera to Vero Santa Challenge, run-
Beach and to the finish line. ning back-to-back races in both loca-
tions on consecutive days. The top
“So many out-of-town people take male finisher for the Vero race, Lee Ko-
advantage of the race,” said Brittany lias, finished with a time of 5:28.63. Top
female finisher Mary Lunn had a time
Members of the Colontrelle and Radocaj families. of 6:26.92.

After the last runners crossed the
finish line, sweaty Santas gathered
for a post-race party with food, drink
and awards. 

Streufert, who with Mike Acosta host- Indian River Healthy Start Coalition’s
ed the event to benefit Power of Pizza Babies and Beyond Program, which as-
Charities. sists women and their families before,
during and after pregnancy by provid-
Streufert said participants, clad from ing pre-birth education and a post-de-
head-to-toe in Florida-style Santa garb, livery home visits, where mothers re-
“sweated for a good cause.” ceive help with breastfeeding, self-care
and baby care.
The goal of Power of Pizza Charities
is to impact communities by inspiring “The Babies and Beyond program
people to participate in health-con- touches so many women here in Indian
scious events to raise funds that sup- River County that have given birth,”
port local schools, athletic organiza- said Streufert, who was raised in Vero
tions and child development programs. Beach.

Locally, race proceeds benefited the

‘COUNTING FLOWERS’:
ROWLES’ ABSTRACT ART IN FULL BLOOM

30 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

‘Counting Flowers’: Rowles’ abstract art in full bloom

BY ELLEN FISCHER Barbara Rowles.
Columnist
PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES
The first exhibition of the 2020 cal-
endar at the Center for Spiritual Care in
Vero Beach is Barbara Rowles’ “Count-
ing Flowers on the Wall,” on display
through Jan. 31. Rowles has of late be-
come known for her abstract flower
paintings, which are as upbeat as the
Statler Brothers’ 1966 hit, sans the blue
notes of “playing solitaire till dawn
with a deck of 51.”

Rowles divides her time between
homes in Florida and Vermont (where
her flower garden inspires her art)
and, until recently, the Gaspé Penin-
sula in Quebec. A Canadian by birth,
she was raised in the town of Gaspé,
where her Irish great-grandfather
came to claim a parcel of land that ex-
tended from the forest to the sea, us-
ing the land for lumber and the ocean
for commercial fishing.

Rowles’ father, Russell Keays, built on
his family’s success there, as an indus-
trialist whose businesses included lum-
ber, ship-building, hotels and heavy
construction. He was also a politician

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 31

ARTS & THEATRE

during her childhood in the 1940s
and ’50s. It is now considered a main-
ly French-Canadian region.

“The Gaspé Peninsula is a destina-
tion now for people who want to kayak,
whale watch and bike. It’s a magnifi-
cent part of the world,” says Rowles,
who reluctantly sold her family’s vaca-
tion home there earlier this year.

“It was very tough. The home I grew
up in was in town, five miles away.
This house was on the beach.”

Although Rowles is now a U.S. citizen,
Quebec’s wide-open spaces and her pio-
neer roots there are close to her heart.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

who served as the mayor of Gaspé for a district of Îles-de-la-Madeleine; later
decade. Running as a Progressive Con- representing Quebec’s Gaspé district.
servative in 1958, Keays was elected to
Parliament representing the electoral According to Rowles, “The Gaspé
was more English than the English,”

32 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 ARTS & THEATRE

As a teen, Rowles attended a private their goal of creating a distinctly Ca- before rounding out her education with later for the spring collection.”
school in Westmount, Quebec, and nadian school of art. a stint in business school. The latter Rowles often accompanied husband
around 18 began attending studio class- helped her in 1973 when she opened the
es at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Rowles spent two years in art classes Galloping Boutique, a fashion business Barry M. Rowles on international busi-
with shops of that name in West Hart- ness trips connected with his work in
One of her teachers, Arthur Lismer, ford, Conn., and on Martha’s Vineyard. the food and beverage industry.
was a member of the Group of Seven,
the young lions of Canada’s mod- While her training in art helped It was in Japan on one such trip
ern art scene in the roaring 1920s. Rowles evaluate the colors and when her husband told her, “You
Its members channeled their patri- trends of seasonal fashions, running know, you are calling the shop from
otic feelings into landscape paint- the business “was taking a lot of my Tokyo to see what the day’s sales are,”
ings that lauded Canada’s captivating time,” she says. Too much to think before suggesting that it might be time
beauty in stylized depictions of na- about creating her own art. for her to retire from the fashion busi-
ture. Widely admired in Canada and ness. She eventually sold the shop to
noticed internationally, the Group of “I used to go to Paris twice a year for her manager in 1985, after Barry had
Seven disbanded in 1932 when its art- the collections,” she says. been retired for three years. The cou-
ists realized that they had achieved ple moved to Vero Beach in 1989, “the
“It was my goal that my clients year of the freeze,” when temps dipped
not see anything in my boutique into the teens around Christmas.
that they would see in a department
store. So I went to the Prêt-à-Porter In addition to her business and trav-
(‘Ready-to-Wear’) shows in Paris. I el interests, Rowles was also a horse-
bought clothes in September, Oc- woman. In Vero, she was happy to find
tober that would arrive six months lodging for her steed at Winter Beach
Farms, where she received a two-for-
one deal. Artist Deborah Gooch, who
with husband Jim Gooch owned and
operated the horse boarding facility,
became one of her first friends here.

“I started to paint with Deborah
again, after having taken a 40-year
sabbatical,” says Rowles.

It wasn’t as easy as all that, however.
Before studying with Gooch, Rowles
took classes with Bill Schultz, a Vero
Beach-based artist known for his im-
pressionistic style, and later graduated

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 33

ARTS & THEATRE

into lessons offered by Florida land- chased her Gallery 14 works are cur-
scape artist Morgan Samuel Price. rently at the age when passing their
art collections along to others makes
She also signed up for workshops more sense than buying, Rowles says,
with painters from Santa Fe – Albert “Now my audience is much younger. I
Handell and Joanna Arnett. One of don’t know who they are.”
her favorite workshop teachers is Cal-
ifornian Robert Burridge, who Row- “Look at a decorating magazine.
les fondly refers to as “a wild man,” They don’t want any more brown fur-
whose use of florescent colors she has niture, they don’t want any more clut-
adopted – in moderation. ter, they want minimal furnishings
and they want big abstracts – whether
Rowles began to paint with Gooch, or not they understand them.”
first in a barn on Gooch’s property
and then at the Vero Beach Museum Her exhibit at the Center, located at
of Art, when Gooch began teaching 15540 24th St. in Vero Beach, will be on
there. Over a decade ago, when 14 lo- display through Jan. 31. 
cal artists got together to form Gallery
14 on 14th Avenue in downtown Vero, nue studio and plan to continue paint-
Rowles and Gooch were among the ing there for the foreseeable future.
founding members.
Rowles’ personal crystal ball fore-
Rowles, who stayed with the gallery tells a more abstract painting style for
for about seven years, says she had her. Since getting back into it, she has
very good sales for her impressionist been making representational paint-
landscape and floral paintings dur- ings for over twenty years.
ing that time. Four years ago, when
Gooch left the museum to teach in a With a certain amount of pride she
Vero Beach storefront space just off says, “I just started using acrylic last
Miracle Mile, Rowles followed her, year. Deborah said I handle acrylic
renting a portion of the space to work like oil. Many of the paintings in the
independently alongside her mentor. show at the Center for Spiritual Care
are in acrylic. I’m very bold. I use a lot,
Now that Deborah and Jim Gooch with gloss medium mixed in.”
have departed Vero to live in Taos,
New Mexico, Barbara and a select few As in her Gallery 14 days, she still
of Deborah’s other advanced students likes to sell her work.
have taken over the rent on the 7th Ave-
Whereas the audience who pur-

34 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Vero Opera’s ‘Barber’ will be a cut above

BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA
Staff Writer

1 Vero Beach Opera’s 2020 season
opens Sunday, Jan. 12, at the

VBHS Performing Arts Center with –

comedy? That’s correct. No angst. No

bloody murders. No dark, brooding

despair. If you’ve seen Rossini’s “The

Barber of Seville,” you already know

this, and you’ll want to bring your op-

era-hesitant pals who have yet to dip

their toes into even the shallowest of

operatic waters. There is, of course, 2 “Lighting the Way” Art Talk
at VBMA Jan. 15.
“bribery, deception and disguise,”
most intriguing and fanciful titles for
says the VBO promo, as the mischie- an artwork ever. And the artwork it-
self is gorgeously eye-popping as well.
vous barber, Figaro, helps Count Al- You can learn a great deal about this
one Wednesday, Jan. 15, when the
maviva win his true love, Rosina. The Vero Beach Museum of Art presents
the new year’s first in its popular Art
strong, professional cast includes Talk series, this one entitled “Light-
ing the Way,” featuring Fred Wilson’s
mezzo soprano Stephanie Foley Davis fascinating sculpture. Here’s the for-
mat: A very well-trained docent meets
as Rosina; tenor David Narghulis as attendees at the front desk, then you

the lovelorn aunt Almaviva; and, from

the Met(ropolitan Opera), baritone 1 “The Barber of Seville” at Vero Beach Opera starting Sunday.

David Pershall as Figaro; bass-bari-

tone Peter Strummer as Dr. Bartolo;

bass-baritone Rod Nelman as Don artist, Maestro Joel Revzen. “The Bar- or Verobeachopera.org.
ber of Seville” is fully staged and with
Basilio; and soprano Susan Neves as English supertitles. Enjoy. Curtain: 3
p.m. Tickets: $15 to $50. 772-569-6993
Bert. The Vero Beach Opera Orchestra 2 “The Way the Moon’s in Love
with the Dark”: surely one of the
will be under the baton of another Met

EARLY ELTON MusicWorks and Paris Productions

PRESENT

WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN––– CARPENTERS REMEMBERED –––

Live!VEROFROBMEASMC HSATURDAY, JANUARY 11 7:00 PM

The Emerson Center · 1590 27th Avenue, Vero Beach

Doors Open at 6 pm, Seating at 6:30 pm

Tickets: www.MusicWorksConcerts.com (800) 595-4849

PRESENTING SPONSORS: Cindy O’Dare & Fenia Hiaasen

SHOW SPONSORS: The Audiohouse · Joe and Denise Corr · New Vision Eye Center
Springhill Suites by Marriott · Catherine Sullivan
NON-PROFIT PARTNER: Quail Valley Charities

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 35

ARTS & THEATRE

head to the galleries for a 45-to- “won the Florida District of the Metro-
60-minute deep dive into the work, politan Opera National Council Audi-
including studying the piece in great tions in Winter Park this past Novem-
detail followed by a sure-to-be lively ber.” All proceeds from the concert
discussion. Time: noon. Admission: benefit the Music Angels Education
free with museum admission. Muse- Fund, a nonprofit established in 2016
um members free. Do register. Hours: by patron of the arts Linda Sposato
Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to provide music lessons, via scholar-
Admission: under 17 and active mili- ships, for “committed students 4 to 16
tary, free; adults, $12; 65 and up, $11; who couldn’t afford them otherwise.”
students with ID, $5. vbmuseum.org Time: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $35 ahead, $40
or 772-231-0707 ext. 136. at the door. 772-234-2736 or 484-885-
7492 or [email protected].

3 “Long ago and oh so far away ...” 5 A popular resort, eatery, bar and
Many of us, within a certain age live music mainstay on Sebas-
3 “Classic Albums Live” this Saturday at Emerson Center.
range, hold a distant, dreamy mem-

ory that drifts back into mind when tian’s where-it’s-at Indian River Drive,

we hear a certain Carpenters song. there’s always something going at Capt.

Do you? It might be “Yesterday Once thusiastic audiences “from Washing- gomery, Sammy Kershaw and Michael Hiram’s. Take this weekend for example
ton State to New York City to sell-out McDonald. Time: 7 p.m. Tickets: $30
More,” or perhaps “Rainy Days and houses in Las Vegas, and Downey, to $95. 800-595-4849 – Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 10,
California, the duo’s hometown.”
Mondays.” These and other wonder- Channeling Karen’s voice and Rich- 11 and 12. Friday brings, from Cocoa
ard’s compositions and arrangements
ful songs from those talented siblings, in the clear, precise, exceptionally Beach, vocalist and instrumentalist
true-to-the-original style for which
Karen and Richard Carpenter, will Classic Albums Live is known will be 4 Just appearing on my radar, this T.A. Williams at 3:30 p.m.; followed by
vocalist Michelle Berting Brett, and looks like a circle-the-date event
be yours again this Saturday, Jan. 11, her Nashville band. Directed by Har- up-and-coming alternative-pop band
ry Sharpe, these musicians, says the
when LIVE! From Vero Beach presents Emerson, have worked with such pop for jazz and blues fans. A “Jazz to Clas- out of Vero Beach, East Harbor, at 7:30
icons as Donna Summer, Wynonna
“Classic Albums Live: We’ve Only Just Judd, Collin Raye, Bobby Caldwell, sics Concert” this Saturday, Jan. 11, p.m. Relax with the Captain Saturday,
Tanya Tucker, John Michael Mont-
Begun: Carpenters Remembered” at will bring to First Presbyterian Church starting with a nice rum drink and the

the Emerson Center. According to in Vero musicians of the terrific, very music of country/western band Double

Wikipedia, the Carpenters “sold more community-minded Fort Pierce Jazz Down at 3:30 p.m., then, into the eve-

than 100 million records in just over and Blues Society – Gene Bruno tenor ning hours, OverRated Band, with rock,

a decade and still hold the record for sax; Don Bestor, piano; Claudio Ber- pop and dance tunes from the ’80s to

most consecutive Top 10 singles.” nardo, drums; and Al Hager, bass – and now, from 7:30 p.m. Head on up this

Says the production promo, the show mezzo soprano Maire Therese Car- weekend for a little relaxing on the river.

launched in 2013 and played to en- mack who, says the concert promo, 772-388-8588. 

36 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PETS

Bonz is cuckoo for Koko, a star at the shelter

Hi Dog Buddies! did you hafta audition? I bet you never got lots of pats. Camilo was my stage
partner. He played ‘Officer Maltese,’ an
For this column, I was originally thought you’d be in Show Biz.” I (well, me an Shorty) played his Faithful
gonna innerview two pooches, Koko Companion. He held my leash, an gave
an Shorty, but I ended up only meeting “You got THAT right. What happened me Strategic Treats on stage, which was
Koko. Both of them got to do the cool- a very duh-licious PERK. PLUS, Camilo
est thing during Christmas: they were was, the humans in charge of the show, is the bal-A Master, an when we weren’t
part of the cast of a big Christmas show on stage, he showed me some Pawsome
called “Muttcracker on the Indian Riv- Adam an Camilo, called here lookin’ Moves. He can leap higher than I can,
er.” Well, ackshully, it’s “Nutcracker” in buh-leeve it or not.”
Human, “Muttcracker” in Dog. Wait’ll for a coupla pooches to be in the show:
you hear! “Woof! So, what IS Shorty’s story? Why
they hadda have Good Manners anna isn’t he here?”
Me an my assistant met Koko at his
current residence, the Humane Society Very Frenly, Easy-Goin’ Attitude, which “Shorty was a stray. A Pooch of the
of Vero Beach an Indian River County, Streets. He was spotted by Animal Con-
a real Cool Kibbles place, I found out. I Koko.PHOTO: KAILA JONES is pretty much me to a T. My audition trol (the Pooch Police: firm but nice). The
wouldn’t have even known about Koko if liddle dude was all skinny, banged up,
my assistant hadn’t gone to see this big “Sure, Bonz … was a success, an so was Shorty’s. (We an totally freaked out when they bought
holiday show, with music, cos-tooms, an may I call you Bonz?” him in. I tried to tell him things were
lotsa grown-ups an liddle kids dressed each did one night.) gonna be OK, but it took him a while.”
like birds, an dolphins and turtles. The “Absolutely.”
show was a “bal-A,” which is a story “First off, I am a mutt, Here’s the Total- “But where is he now?”
told with music and a special swoopy an I’m not ashamed to “Once he got tidied up an put on some
kinda dancin’ – instead of just yappin.’ say it. Before I came here, Shorty. ly Cool Kibbles weight, he turned into a very cute pooch,
I Googled and found out the bal-A was I lived with my Mom, a thing: the ‘Bal- the kind humans are drawn too, if you
written a long time ago, like 896 Dog kind, loving human who know what I mean.”
Years, by a guy in Russia who was really took good care of me. We A Vero Beach’ “I do,” I said.
good at writin’ that stuff. His name is, had daily walks, an lotsa “He didn’t make this innerview be-
ummm, Pete Chy-COFF-skee. car rides, which I loved. I humans an the cause he got a-DOP-ted! I JUST found out
had my own bed, an yum- this morning. I’m so happy for him.”
Me an my assistant were greeted by my food. But one day, Mom broke her leg Humane So- “Best. Christmas. Present. EVER!”
two nice ladies, Tammy an Tracey, an we real bad. She couldn’t walk me anymore, “Absolutely.”
got settled in a big sunny room. Tammy or take me for rides, an she wouldn’t be ciety humans Heading home, I was thinkin’ about
went out an returned with a hansome able to till her leg got better, which was Shorty’s happy holiday ending, and
brindle pooch, about my size, long-leg- gonna be a real long time. decided to be hopin’ Koko, an all the other Certi-
gedy, nice square head an frenly brown “It was right before Christmas but, fied American Shelter Dogs, would get
eyes, walkin’ very politely onna leash, even though it made us both sad, she PA RT-ners. their own Happy Endings. An thinking
wagging to beat the band. He approached had to give me up For My Own Good. So how lucky I am to have my Gramma an
for the Wag-an-Sniff, and greeted my as- here I am. I miss Mom, of course, but it’s The show’s Grandpa waiting for me.
sistant with some nudges. His nice long ackshully pretty cool here. I hadda be in
tail never once stopped waggin.’ quor-in-teen for five days cuz You Can’t official The Bonz
Be Too Careful. Then, after I got checked
“Good morning, good morning! I’m out an spiffed up (an had the No Pup- name was Don’t Be Shy
Koko. It is so Crunchy Dog Biscuits that pies Procedure, which wasn’t that bad),
you’re gonna write about our theater gig. I officially became a Certified American ‘Nutcracker We are always looking for pets
We’re SO psyched!” Shelter Dog, and got put on The Adop- with interesting stories.
tion Floor, where humans come to look on the In-
“A pleasure, Koko. I’d like to know how for The Right Pooch. I haven’t been any- To set up an interview, email
you got here and what your life’s like one’s Right Pooch yet, bein’ busy with dian River,’ but [email protected].
now, ’specially since the big show.” the show an all …”
“How did all that happen? I mean, they also called it ‘Muttcracker,’

because we were not only gonna act, but

also let people know about pooches like

us who are lookin’ for Forever Famlies.

We even got our PIK-shurs in the pro-

gram, like the human actors. Seriously

Crispy Dog Biscuits!”

“Woof, Koko! That’s wa-ay exciting!

So, did you rehearse? What was it like on

stage? Were you nervous?”

“First time I was on stage, it felt Very

Big. It had a set, which is a lotta stuff

that makes the plain old stage look like

Someplace Else. In the part I was in,

Act 1, Scene 3, the set was a train sta-

tion. I hadda learn to not be distracted

by the bright lights; learn about block-

ing (where I’m s’pose to be); Q’s (when

to do something); an pretendin’ (like I

was meetin’ a bunch of grown-ups and

liddle kids). It was ackshully fun: I love

humans, ’spechully liddle ones, and I



38 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

WARMINGWATERSCONSUME
BRUNY ISLAND, Tasmania – Even BY DARRYL FEARS | WASHINGTON POST

before the ocean caught fever and Rodney Dillon, 63, on indigenous land on Bruny
reached temperatures no one had ever Island. Dillon dives for abalone off the Island.
seen, Australia’s ancient giant kelp was
cooked. Simon Neil works an oyster bed at Clifton Pacific Oysters in Clifton Beach, Tasmania. Scientists to ocean temperature data from the
are working with oyster farmers to reduce the impact of disease linked to warming waters. Hadley Center, the U.K. government
Rodney Dillon noticed the day he research agency on climate change.
squeezed into a wet suit several years crashing waves. Fisheries from Japan South Wales, nearly half of them out of
ago and dove into Trumpeter Bay to to Angola to Uruguay are collapsing control. Residents of the state, where As the marine heat rises and the
catch his favorite food, a big sea snail as their waters warm. Arctic tundra is Sydney sits, wear breathing masks to kelp simmers into goo, Dillon and
called abalone. As he swam amid the melting away in Siberia and Alaska, tolerate the heavy smoke, which has other descendants of Tasmania’s first
towering kelp forest, he saw that "it exposing the remains of woolly mam- drifted more than 500 miles south to people are losing a connection to the
had gone slimy." He scrambled out of moths buried for thousands of years the outskirts of Melbourne. ocean that has defined their culture
the water and called a scientist at the and flooding the gravesites of indig- for millennia.
University of Tasmania in nearby Ho- enous people who have lived in an icy This is happening even though av-
bart. "I said, 'Mate, all our kelp's dying, world for centuries. erage atmospheric temperatures in Aboriginals walked to present-day
and you need to come down here and Australia have yet to increase by 3.6 Tasmania 40,000 years ago during the
have a look.' Australia is a poster child for climate degrees Fahrenheit. Stone Age, long before rising sea levels
change. Wildfires are currently raging turned the former peninsula into an
"But no one could do anything about on the outskirts of its most iconic city The ocean is another story. island.
it." and drought is choking a significant A stretch of the Tasman Sea right
portion of the country. along Tasmania’s eastern coast has Cut off from Aboriginals on the
Climate change had arrived at this already warmed by just a fraction be- mainland, about a dozen nomadic
island near the bottom of the world, Nearly 100 fires are burning in New low 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, according tribes were the first humans to live so
and the giant kelp that flourished in its close to the end of the Earth, fishing
cold waters was among the first things amid the giant kelp for abalone, hunt-
to go. ing kangaroo and mutton birds, turn-
ing bull kelp into tools, and fashioning
Over recent decades, the rate of pearlescent snail shells into jewelry
ocean warming off Tasmania, Austra- for hundreds of generations.
lia’s southernmost state and a gate-
way to the South Pole, has climbed to Now, as descendants try to finally
nearly four times the global average, get full recognition as the first people
oceanographers say. and original owners of Tasmania, cli-
mate change is threatening to remove
More than 95 percent of the gi- the marine life that makes so much of
ant kelp – a living high-rise of 30-foot their culture special.
stalks that served as a habitat for some
of the rarest marine creatures in the Two of the most severe marine heat
world – died. waves ever recorded struck back to
back in recent years.
Giant kelp had stretched the length
of Tasmania’s rocky east coast through- In the first, starting in 2015, ocean
out recorded history. Now it clings to a temperatures peaked at nearly 5.4 de-
tiny patch near Southport, the island’s grees Fahrenheir above normal in the
southern tip, where the water is colder.

“This is a hot spot,” said Neil Hol-
brook, a professor who researches ocean
warming at the Institute for Marine and
Antarctic Studies at the University of
Tasmania. “And it’s one of the big ones.”

Climate scientists say it's essential to
hold global temperatures to 2.7 degrees
Fahrenheit above preindustrial times to
avoid irreversible damage from warming.

The Tasman Sea is already well above
that threshold.

Nearly a tenth of the planet has al-
ready warmed 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit
since the late 19th century, and the
abrupt rise in temperature related to
human activity has transformed parts
of the Earth in radical ways.

In the United States, New Jersey is
among the fastest-warming states, and
its average winter has grown so warm
that lakes no longer freeze as they
once did. Canadian islands are crum-
bling into the sea because a blanket of
sea ice no longer protects them from

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 39

INSIGHT COVER STORY

E ACULTURE Two bush fires approach a house on the A month later, more than 100 ring-
outskirts of Bargo, southwest of Sydney, tail possums fell dead in Victoria when
on Dec. 21. A “catastrophic” fire danger temperatures topped 95 degrees Fahr-
warning was issued for the greater enheit for four consecutive days.
Sydney region.
The warming waters off Tasmania
waters between Tasmania and New An exhibit of indigenous shell necklaces at are not just killing the giant kelp, but
Zealand. A blob of heat that reached the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in transforming life for marine animals.
3.6 degrees Fahrenheit was more than Hobart. The practice of stringing shells is
seven times the size of Tasmania, an is- an important part of Aboriginal women’s Warm-water species are swimming
land the size of Ireland. culture in Tasmania. south to places where they could not
have survived a few years ago. Kingfish,
The region’s past heat waves normal- sea urchins, zooplankton and even mi-
ly lasted as long as two months. The crobes from the warmer north near the
2015-2016 heat wave persisted for eight mainland now occupy waters closer to
months. Alistair Hobday, who studied the South Pole.
the event, compared it to the deadly
2003 European heat wave that led to “There’s about 60 or 70 species of
the deaths of thousands of people. fish that now have established popu-
lations in Tasmania that used not to be
“Except in this case, it’s the animals here,” said Craig Johnson, who leads
that are suffering,” said Hobday, a senior the ecology and biodiversity center at
research scientist at the Commonwealth the Institute for Marine and Antarctic
Scientific and Industrial Research Orga- Studies at the University of Tasmania.
nization, a government agency. “You might see them occasionally as
sort of vagrants, but they certainly did
South of the equator, Australia’s not have established populations.”
summer stretches from December to
February – and soaring temperatures But the region’s indigenous cold-
turned the mainland deadly this year. water species have no place to go. An-
An estimated 23,000 giant fruit bats – imals such as the prehistoric-looking
about a third of that species population red handfish are accustomed to the
in Australia – dropped dead from heat frigid water closer to the shore. They
stress in Queensland and New South cannot live in the deep-water abyss
Wales in April. between the bottom tip of Tasmania
and Antarctica.
The bats, called flying foxes, cannot
survive temperatures above 107.6 de- “It’s a geographic climate trap,” John-
grees Fahrenheit. Another 10,000 black son said. Marine animals unique to Aus-
flying foxes, a different species, also tralia – the wallabies and koalas of the
died. Bodies plopped into meadows, deep – could easily vanish. “So there’s
backyard gardens and swimming pools. going to be a whole bunch of species
here that we expect will just go extinct.

“You know, it’s not a happy story.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

Strands of bull kelp at Shelly Point
in Tasmania. The Tasman Sea is

warming, and once plentiful giant
kelp forests have rapidly declined.

Indigenous artists
rely on a kelp habitat for
traditional jewelry and basket making.

129 Properties Sold/Under Contract Since January 2019

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pickleball, professional squash, croquet, an abundance of water activities, and a health & wellness center. A picturesque seaside
landscape and near perfect climate complement the outstanding calendar of social and recreational activities for all ages. Savor
our fresh, seasonal dishes available at any of the three renovated clubhouses, including the spectacular Beach Club overlooking our
spectacular shores. Discover why John’s Island is simply the place to be.

Bob Gibb, Broker : Judy Bramson : Jeannette Mahaney : Ba Stone : Michael Merrill : Kristen Yoshitani : Susie Perticone

Cheryl Sangbush : Rennie Gibb Open 7 days a week : 1 John’s Island Drive : Vero Beach, Florida 32963

All information herein has been supplied by third parties, and is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. We cannot represent that it is accurate or complete. Buyer is advised to verify information to their satisfaction. This offering is subject to errors,
omissions, change in price or withdrawal without notice. Rendering and floor plans are for marketing purposes only and are approximate. All rights reserved, duplication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. © 2019 John’s Island Real Estate Company.

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42 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39 INSIGHT COVER STORY

Every time he dives for abalone, Rod- Patsy Cameron, 72, collects bull kelp at Shelly Point. new plague: long-spine sea urchins, an
ney Dillon plays his part in what is ar- Right: Marina shell necklaces made by Patsy Cameron, animal that greedily devours kelp.
guably Tasmania’s saddest story of all. 72, collected in a traditional kelp basket.
A single urchin was found in the cold
At 63, he’s getting too old for the oc- The tragedy playing out underwater pipehorse lounged about, and rock lob- waters off Tasmania by divers con-
casional plunge. Before a dive on a is much worse, but invisible to most. ster were abundant. ducting a survey in 1978. Now, there
windy day in September, two people are more than 18 million, according to
had to wrestle his wet suit over a thick In 1950, giant kelp stretched over 9 The most recent study – nearly 10 the most recent survey by the Institute
athlete’s body softened by time. million square meters in a thick band years old – estimated that 95 percent for Marine and Antarctic Studies.
along Tasmania’s coast, said Cayne of giant kelp had been lost to warm-
Dillon persists because diving puts a Layton, a research fellow at the marine ing and pollution, Layton said, and is Sea urchins prefer warm water. They
favorite food on the family table, and, and antarctic institute. Today, it cov- probably much worse now. swarm rocky reefs where kelp grows,
more important, it carries on a dying ers fewer than 500,000 meters in little leaving oceans barren and devoid of life.
Aboriginal custom nearly ended by spots on the coastline. The less spectacular common kelp,
the British crown and the Australian which grows on the coastal slope lead- Kelp forests’ “importance is equal to
governors it appointed. Giant kelp is lovely but fragile. It needs ing to deep water, is overtaking the forests on land,” said Layton, “so if you
cool, clean, nutrient-rich water to sur- spaces where giant kelp grew, Layton can imagine what the world would be
Under the water, amid swaying emer- vive, and it’s losing all three. said. Along with long, straplike bull kelp like without trees, that’s what a world
ald stalks of kelp, Dillon thought that he that clings to giant rocks near the shore, without kelp forests would be like.”
glimpsed the world his ancestors saw. It is a serious loss. Divers coveted common kelp appears to be more toler-
swimming amid plants that grew like ant to warming temperatures. Scientists say there is only one expla-
“I sometimes got lost in the kelp. I the mythical beanstalk to glimpse some nation for why sea urchins migrated so
would lose concentration from catch- of the world’s rarest creatures. Squid But even these species aren’t safe. far from their warmer natural habitat
ing food and go to look, sort of sky- fed there, red handfish hid there, spiny The warming water has introduced a near Sydney to the cold waters around
gaze, at the beauty of the light coming Tasmania: the East Australian Current.
through,” he said.
The current, made famous in the film
And now, Australia is caught in a “Finding Nemo,” is fed by a vast stream
record-breaking heat wave. of tropical water that reaches Australia’s
coast after traveling all the way from South
A heartbreaking video went viral America. The water then flows south
late in November: A koala bear slowly down the east coast of Australia and then
walked through wildfire. swings back east just north of Sydney.

The marsupial, euthanized days At that point, the warm-water cur-
later because its burns didn’t heal, was rent splits, with some water flowing
just one victim of the many wildfires southward toward the Tasman Sea
that started burning in the Austra- in the form of swirls of tropical wa-
lian spring and are still going. At the ter called eddies – and this secondary
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, it was branch has intensified.
called “a national tragedy.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 43

INSIGHT COVER STORY

This extension of the East Australian sity of Tasmania, toxic algae blooms bellied sea snake has migrated to the to climate change,” said Holbrook, the
Current is spewing thousands of ed- lurk where giant kelp once flourished. habitat. ocean scientist. “But what you can say
dies deeper southward toward Tasma- Abalone have gone from healthy to is that the intensity was much more
nia, carrying the larvae of warm-water “stressed.” The brightly colored Mao- The warmer water disintegrated most likely due to climate change.
species to places they had never been. ri octopus is being replaced by the of the giant kelp over two decades and
gloomy octopus, more common to contributed to the massive, record- “You liken it to smoking,” he said. “If
According to research compiled by the waters near Sydney. And a yellow- breaking marine heat wave of 2015. you smoke cigarettes, you increase the
Professor Gretta Pecl at the Univer- likelihood of getting lung cancer.” 
“You can’t say that this event was due

44 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

A century after Prohibition, drinking is going out of style

The Volstead Act to establish Pro- Judging by historical patterns, this only South Korea has a compulsory tobacco industry and looking for new
hibition in America, a ban on alcohol later onset of drinking means today’s cancer warning on alcohol bottles, customers elsewhere. The top ten fast-
which lasted nearly 14 years, took ef- teenagers will be a generation of light and Ireland passed a law in 2018 to est-growing markets for alcohol are all
fect in 1920. drinkers when they grow up. Millen- introduce such warnings, though it emerging economies, mostly in Africa
nials, now in their 20s and 30s, are has yet to do so. and Asia. (China is not among them;
Now, a century later, it is seen as also drinking less alcohol. For them, alcohol sales there are declining.)
proof (as it were) that trying to ban moderation is part of a healthier life- Big alcohol companies can see the
drinking, when it is already popular, is style – the pursuit of which is start- writing on the keg. They are expand- In a generation or two, drinking in
not a good idea. Prohibition gave rise ing to look like a mainstream trend, ing their low- and no-alcohol offer- rich countries could look démodé.
to organized crime, as mafia gangs rather than a fad. ings of beer, wine and spirits. Innova-
made fortunes from bootlegging. tion in such drinks is booming. Many Until then, alcohol will remain one
The alcohol industry’s primary cus- are now indistinguishable in taste of the most expensive public-health
Enforcement of the ban was feeble tomers today are middle-aged and from the real thing. and productivity problems. Official es-
because it lacked popular support. Ac- older adults. timates reckon that alcohol shaves 1.3-
cording to one estimate, there were at Nearly 50 of Heineken’s brands, for 2.7% off Britain’s GDP. In poor countries,
least 20,000 illegal bars in New York In some rich countries, they are example, have an alcohol-free ver- the damage per litre done by alcohol is
City during Prohibition. When police drinking more than previous gen- sion. In most Western countries such greater – just as it is greater among the
in Denver raided a bar, they found the erations did at their age. Alcohol is alternatives are still a novelty, but sales poor than the rich in Western countries.
local congressman, the mayor and the carcinogenic even in small amounts, are growing fast. In Germany and the
sheriff having a drink. but most people do not know that. Netherlands, both early adopters, they Proven supply-side policies to curb
So tobacco-style warnings on alco- make up about 10% of beer sales. drinking, such as hefty taxes, will face
Yet Prohibition is still around, and hol labels are being talked about by an uphill battle in legislatures and
not just in the Muslim world. In Amer- public-health policy wonks. For now, At the same time, the alcohol indus- courtrooms around the world, because
ica it exists in nearly 500 predominant- try is following in the footsteps of the anti-alcohol groups are no match for
ly evangelical counties, including that the legions of lobbyists hired by the
of Lynchburg, Tennessee – the home- booze industry.
town of Jack Daniel’s whiskey (visitors
to the distillery can take home a “com- That is quite a turnaround: Prohibi-
memorative” bottle of the stuff). tion came about because the Anti-Sa-
loon League, which pushed for it, was
Even so, in most places govern- one of America’s most powerful lobby
ments merely try to dissuade people groups. It was backed by many of the
from drinking by making alcohol more richest people at the time, including
expensive through taxes, and restrict- John Rockefeller, Henry Ford and An-
ing its sale and advertising. Such poli- drew Carnegie.
cies work.
Today, restricting alcohol is a tricky
But drinking is now in decline for cause for philanthropists to support
an unrelated reason: a shift in social because drinking is ingrained in the
norms among young people, which is social lives of the rich. But their chil-
charting a new future for alcohol. dren and grandchildren may feel more
enthusiastic about a world with much
In almost every Western country, less alcohol. 
teenagers are starting to drink later
than they used to. That is partly be- A version of this column first ap-
cause they socialize a lot with each oth- peared in The Economist. It does not
er online, rather than in person. Better necessarily reflect the views of Vero
parenting may play a role too. Beach 32963.

In addition to preventive health screenings, keeping your � For adults age 50 and older, the new vaccine RZV
immunizations up to date is essential to good health. is given in two doses 2-6 months apart
� ZVL (old vaccine) two doses at least 4-8 weeks
RECOMMENDED VACCINATIONS FOR ADULTS apart at age 60 or greater (not for pregnant women
(per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]) or immunocompromised)
 Diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis vaccine  Other vaccines you may need
� For adults up to age 65 � Hepatitis A recommended in Florida due to the
w Booster every 10 years current outbreak (see your physician to determine
� For adults 65 or over your risks). Those with known liver disease, men
w Single diphtheria/tetanus vaccination only; may who have sex with men, injection drug use, and
need a booster if a high-risk injury occurs travel to high risk areas should receive two vaccines
 Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine 6-12 months apart
(for the prevention of cervical cancer) � Hepatitis B recommended for the same reasons
� For all males up to age 21 and females up to age 26 as Hepatitis A and can be given together
w One series of 2-3 shots � Meningococcal (for prevention of Neisseria
 Influenza (flu) vaccine meningitis) recommended for travel to high risk
� For adults of any age. Extremely important for areas, certain medical diseases, and college stu-
those at high risk such as diabetes, heart, lung, dents. Two vaccines are available, the old vaccine
kidney, immune deficiencies MenACWY and the newer vaccine MenB
� For all over 6 months of age
� Repeat vaccine annually RECORD KEEPING
� Can receive the LAIV (live vaccine) nasal spray if Neither the CDC nor any other national organization main-
you are less than 50 years of age tains vaccination records. It’s up to individuals to keep
 Pneumococcal vaccine track of which vaccines were administered when. Fortu-
(for prevention of Streptococcal pneumonia) nately, some states have registries called Immunization
� For adults age 65 and over Information Systems (ISS) that record childhood and adult
w Initial vaccination with PCV13 (new vaccine), vaccinations. In Florida, your healthcare provider or phar-
then PPSV23 (old vaccine) in one year macy can contact Florida Shots registry at flshots@doh.
� For high-risk adults of any age with diabetes, cancer, state.fl.us to determine which vaccinations you have had.
heart, lung, immune deficiencies
w Initial vaccination PPV13 (new vaccine), then IF YOU CAN’T FIND YOUR IMMUNIZATION RECORDS
PPSV23 (old vaccine) 8 weeks later, then an- If you, your healthcare provider or state ISS can’t find
other PPSV23 in five years your immunization records, your doctor may, in some in-
� If you already had the old vaccine (PPSV23), wait stances, be able to order blood tests to see if you are im-
one year to get the new vaccine (PPV13) mune. It is safe to repeat vaccines if necessary. 
 Varicella zoster vaccine (for prevention of shingles) Your comments and suggestions for future topics are
always welcome. Email us at [email protected].

© 2020 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

46 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

“A world gone wrong.” Of all the signature lines LONG BRIGHT RIVER Moore, a former musician and the author of three
that Raymond Chandler bequeathed to the world, previous novels, is an astute social observer. Her
this one may be his most resonant. It appears in the BY LIZ MOORE | RIVERHEAD. 496 PP. $26 depictions of Mickey’s isolation are sharp-eyed to
introductory essay of his 1950 collection of short REVIEW BY MAUREEN CORRIGAN, THE WASHINGTON POST the point of pain. Becoming a police officer and as-
stories, “Trouble Is My Business.” There, Chandler piring for a better education for her son has cut off
tries to account for the power of his early, relatively As Mickey recalls in flashbacks interspersed Mickey from Kacey and her extended family. But her
unsophisticated detective stories, many of them throughout the main narrative, she stepped into working-class background and carefully budgeted
published some 20 years before in pulp magazines: the role of Kacey’s caretaker early, when the two income distance her from the mothers of Thomas’s
girls were abandoned to the stinting care of their private preschool classmates (a scene where Mickey
“Possibly it was the smell of fear which these sto- grandmother after their parents fell victim to drugs. hosts Thomas’s birthday party at a McDonald’s to
ries managed to generate. Their characters lived in a Kacey subsequently began using – and overdosing – the discomfort of one of the wealthier moms de-
world gone wrong, a world in which, long before the in high school, an episode that Mickey shares with volves from strained to heart-wrenching.)
atom bomb, civilization had created the machinery us in a chapter that opens with this chilling decla-
of its own destruction, and was beginning to use it ration: “The first time I found my sister dead, she Moore is every bit as deft in constructing sus-
with all the moronic delight of a gangster trying out was sixteen.” As Kacey was drawn deeper into the pense. Mickey’s dread mounts as she becomes con-
his first machine gun.” netherworld, Mickey found refuge in an afterschool vinced that something terrible has happened to her
program run by the Police Athletic League. One vol- sister and, so, she takes more risks in her investi-
That phrase has since become one of the defining unteer, in particular, a handsome divorced officer gation. Here’s a tense moment where Mickey, who’s
elements of hard-boiled detective fiction, a genre named Simon Cleare, took an interest in Mickey – too broken into an abandoned rowhouse-now-drug-
that, above all, investigates “a world gone wrong.” much of an interest, as it turns out. He inspired her den searching for Kacey, realizes she’s made a mis-
with a vocation for police work and left her with now take by backing herself into an upstairs bedroom:
The historical forces that corrupt the world have 4-year-old son, Thomas.
changed with time. For Chandler, the culprits were “There’s a bare mattress on the floor and a chalk-
the Great Depression and two World Wars. For Liz board on the wall, bold markings on it in a childish
Moore, author of the extraordinary new crime nov- hand. … I gaze at it, wondering whether the draw-
el, “Long Bright River,” it’s the opioid epidemic that ing was created before the house’s abandonment. …
ravages the once cohesive world of Kensington, a There are three stubby pieces of chalk on the wood-
historically working-class neighborhood in North- en rail beneath it, and I can’t resist … It’s been years
east Philadelphia. since I drew in slate.

Like Bedford Falls in the famous noir sequence of “I’m just returning the chalk to its grove when I
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” the mundane has been made hear someone enter the house below.
menacing in Kensington, where rowhouses that once
were crammed with families (however imperfect), “I flinch. And the chalk makes a slow arc from
now shelter a shifting population of addicts; where the rail to the floor, landing with an unmistakable
factories that once produced hats and carpets have clack.”
deteriorated into open-air drug markets. A world
gone wrong, indeed. “Long Bright River” – a book that has garnered
much pre-publication buzz – nervously twists, turns
The detective who must navigate this nightmare and subverts readers’ expectations till its very last
cityscape is Mickey Fitzpatrick, a 30-something pa- pages. Simultaneously, it also manages to grow into
trol officer in the Philadelphia Police Department. something else: a sweeping, elegiac novel about a
Mickey’s younger sister, Kacey, walks the streets of blighted city. As Chandler did for various sections
Kensington for a different reason: She’s an addict of Los Angeles, Moore – who lives in Philadelphia
who supports her habit by turning tricks, catering to – excavates Kensington and surrounding areas in
the commuter trade that drives through Kensington Philadelphia, illuminating the rot, the shiny facades
to buy drugs. If that premise sounds contrived (and of gentrification and the sturdy endurance of small
at least as old as the classic 1938 gangster film, “An- pockets of community life. Mickey may not be able
gels With Dirty Faces” starring Humphrey Bogart and to make everything right, but, by the end of the nov-
Pat O’Brien), Moore’s nuanced development of Mick- el she’s found enough reasons to believe that not all
ey’s troubled character banishes all reservations. is wrong with this world. 

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 47

INSIGHT BRIDGE

NORTH

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE A LONG, LONG SUIT? 10 6 5

By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist —

Jon Bon Jovi reputedly said, “Success is falling nine times and getting up 10.” Today’s A K 10 9 8 7 5 4 3
deal features something very rare: a nine-card suit. It was played six times in a duplicate in
Florida. With East-West vulnerable, South opens one heart, and West passes. What should WEST 8
North do? AQ43 EAST
AJ98
The normal response with this hand is five diamonds. Four of the six players in that duplicate Q6 972
did just that, and it ended the auction. Three made the contract, losing two spades. One 965
North went down, I cannot imagine how. K532

Two Norths bid only three diamonds, a weak jump response. One South sensibly passed 2
— misfits are miserable — but it did not work well here. The second South rebid three no-
trump and got a top. Q J 10 7 4

If West had been psychic and led the heart eight, the defenders could have taken the SOUTH
first four tricks via either three hearts and one spade or two hearts and two spades.
(Note also that three no-trump by North could have been defeated with a low-heart lead.) KJ8
Understandably, though, West led the spade three. South won with her jack and ran the
diamonds. During the avalanche, East and West discarded clubs, so South took the last Q 10 7 6 4
three tricks with her clubs. Plus 520 outscored all of the 400s.
J
Many experts would have difficulty with this deal because a five-diamond response would
not be natural. It would show a big heart fit and a diamond void and ask for key cards aside AK32
from the diamond ace. This is called Exclusion Key Card Blackwood. I guess here North
would respond two diamonds, then rebid five diamonds. Dealer: South; Vulnerable: East-West

The Bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Hearts Pass ??
LEAD:
3 Clubs

48 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JANUARY 2) ON PAGE 68
INSIGHT GAMES

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

How to do Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so the
numbers one through
nine appear just once
in every column, row
and three-by-three
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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 49

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 109 Sam’s only comedy 51 NFL team The Washington Post
1 Bern’s river based on a sitcom? 52 Cry
5 Bar work 53 Craggy hill THE LOST PECKINPAH FILMS By Merl Reagle
8 Taj Mahal builder, e.g. 116 Bosnians, e.g. 54 “So!”
12 Drink so as to annoy Mom 118 Genesis twin 55 Fills with joy
17 Sam’s vampire western? 119 Piece of pack ice 57 Lacking oomph
19 Pfeiffer pic, 120 Japanese carp 61 First impression (anagram of
121 Disagreer’s word
Married to ___ 123 See 127 Down EAR CUP)
21 1993 Oscar-winning actress 124 Place for tennis? 62 They “shall inherit the earth”
22 Sam’s Tex-Mex comedy? 126 Sam’s bio of 64 Nimble, for 90
24 Uriah Heep’s 66 ___ Na Na
Roberta Flack? 70 Stagger back
self-description 130 “The Great” Mogul emperor 71 Angel or Victoria, e.g.
25 Half your supper? 131 Sink like ___ 72 Popular synthetic
26 Long. crosser 132 Movie Sam never made? 73 Bad dates?
27 See 77 Down 133 Bears’ homes 74 Famed N.Y.C. restaurateur
28 Like some apples 134 The male side, 75 Pallid
30 Heady request 76 Collar color
31 Icy layer in China 77 Guy in a story about thieves
33 Sam’s political thriller? 135 Airport info 81 It helps in protein synthesis
36 Bam-boom sticks 136 Exerciser 82 Doing errands, e.g.
37 Blacktop 83 Highest
39 Biathlon buy DOWN 85 African language family
40 Awesome Bruin 1 Grade choices 86 Fleecy female
41 Marries, e.g. 2 Big Easy trumpeter 88 “___ any and all
44 Ofc. holders? 3 ___ one’s parade
48 Snake or CPA 4 Subj. for immigrants wrongdoing ...”
52 Sam’s drama set 5 See 63 Across 89 Car-collecting
6 Loads
in an abbey? 7 Pale TV host
56 Drops in the box, e.g. 8 Terrified one 90 Tight athletes
58 Eire org. 9 Coop dweller 94 Remarkable
59 La-la lead-in 10 Stradivari’s teacher 95 Type of chemical compound
60 Pathetic 11 Golf great Ben 97 Medium size
61 Sam’s musical? 12 Apt first name for a 99 Barbados beverage
63 Solozzo victim 102 Bunny empire creator
65 Grating sound restaurateur 104 Hole-___
67 Structure with spillways 13 Gable’s love 107 First baseball commissioner,
68 B.P.O.E. people 14 “Burnt” color
69 Sam’s golf mystery? 15 Rent anew Kenesaw Mountain ___
75 R.I.P., e.g. 16 Wharf features 108 Change slowly
78 Hear here? 18 ___ at windmills 109 Pedal to the ___
79 Disraeli was one 19 Maupin and Poe output 110 “Venice of the Orient”
80 Home of Firestone 20 Musical Alban 111 Congregation head
84 Sam’s thriller about 23 “Silent” prez 112 Seltzer opener
29 And yet, quickly 113 Like revelry
evil carolers? 32 Ticket receipt 114 Silt site
87 Hose gatherer 33 Ballplayer Sid, 115 Artifact-finding mission
91 Brazil, for one 116 Greek portico
92 Center or a fish 117 More furtive
93 Permit 34 Ft. ___, N.J. 121 Defeat
94 Sam’s sequel to 35 Wipe out 122 Arm bone
37 Type of monkey, 125 Crisis rms.
69 Across? 127 He ousted
96 Pine (for) or two notes
98 Hagar the 38 Boons to alfresco banking Sihanouk, 1970
42 Boulanger or Comaneci 128 Marseille Mrs.
Horrible’s dog 43 Fab drummer 129 Palindromic knife
100 “___ the Clowns” 45 Outback sight
101 Fifti finish 46 Confident, ability-wise
103 Where Tell dwelt 47 Instrument heard on the Sgt.
105 Alg. elements
106 Bullish comment? Pepper’s album
49 Radio display at

one time
50 Les Six first name

The Telegraph

50 Vero Beach 32963 / January 9, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Can living apart actually keep a marriage together?

BY CAROLYN HAX Maybe this will be the beginning of the new hap- are adding is yet another reminder that you’re going
Washington Post piest phase of your marriage. Maybe that will be true off society’s script, then it’s time to say thanks for the
because you love together but live apart; maybe that opinion but please back off. Or this: “I’m fine with
Hi, Carolyn: In five years of mar- will be true because you start to see you aren’t well being strange, but I’m tired of people telling me I’m
riage, my husband and I agree we suited. Who knows. I think it’s great that you’re talk- strange.”
were happiest during a six-month ing, thinking creatively, trying something new.
period we spent living apart while If this is in fact a precursor to divorce, by the way,
I did a fellowship in another city. As for allowing outside voices to influence you: it’s hard to see how living together unhappily will
We talked on the phone every Sometimes people can see things about us that we prevent one.
night, we got the quiet time we both thrive on and the can’t, sure.
quality time we spent together became special again Readers’ thoughts:
instead of routine. And so we have decided to move But it’s still up to us to decide whether outside  I have no idea if this is the right move, and no
into two separate apartments. opinions are useful. If the only thing your doubters one else does either. Each couple does marriage
We are both looking forward to shaking things up a and married life a bit differently. More to the point,
bit, excited about our respective new neighborhoods though, each and every day we make decisions, the
and feeling great about defining OUR marriage OUR ultimate result of which we cannot know – it takes a
way. However, you can imagine the negativity we leap of faith. It’s just that most of the time we are sure
have received from the people around us. we’re right. Embrace the excitement and the uncer-
And maybe I just let this doubt infect me un- tainty both.
necessarily, but suddenly I am beginning to ques-  My aunt and uncle lived in separate houses for
tion whether we’re crazy. And imagining my hus- decades. I believe it’s why they stayed married for as
band’s enthusiasm is just because he’s secretly laying long as they did, until my aunt’s death. They were
groundwork to start an affair. (I don’t think so, but unapologetic and didn’t offer explanation – they just
…?) And worrying the naysayers are right: This is just did. They loved each other more than most any other
the first step toward inevitable divorce. two people I’ve ever known.
Are we crazy to think this will work? Or is it crazy  My now ex-husband and I considered this. I
to allow these outside voices to challenge our plans? still wish we had given it a try, before things got so
– Fooling Ourselves? bad we could not fix the marriage. Now we’re super-
close friends but unfortunately cannot go back. Why
Fooling Ourselves?: What’s crazy to me is the idea people who love each other have to live in the same
that one life fits all. abode is beyond me. Who makes up these arbitrary
rules? 