07/21/2022 ISSUE 29

Cleveland Clinic adds expert in
cancer surgery. P42

For local artist, wonders
of watercolor never cease. P38
Marine’s Bill Penney elected chair
of Florida Bankers Association. P10

For breaking news visit

MY VERO Hospitalizations
of patients with
BY RAY MCNULTY Covid up sharply

Taking the politics out of
Vero’s Downtown Fridays

It’s not fair, really, that good BY LISA ZAHNER
people must be punished for Staff Writer
the sometimes-thuggish be-
havior tolerated by a small ARTIST’S RENDERING The number of people hos-
number of candidates for lo- pitalized here with COVID-19
cal public office and their cult- Might a boutique hotel rise incorporating Big Blue? has increased 59 percent since
like fringe following. July 1, and 16 more Indian
BY STEVEN M. THOMAS front where the old Big Blue cited about the project,” River County residents have
But given the contentious Staff Writer powerplant now sits idle. says Bob Miller, CEO and died with or from the virus in
and often-hostile tone of our founder of Equity First De- the past three weeks, accord-
political discourse these days, Good news for people Major developers are velopment, who submitted ing to data compiled from
the organizers of Main Street who want to see Vero Beach keenly interested in the a proposal that included the Florida Department of Health
Vero Beach’s popular Down- upgraded with a world- $120 million hotel, marina, image above. and Centers for Disease Con-
town Friday celebrations saw class, mixed-use redevelop- restaurant, retail and recre- trol reports.
no other choice. ment project on the river- ation plan. Miller was one of four big
The CDC reports 25 new
Starting next month, they’ll “I am personally very ex- CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 hospitalizations over the past
no longer allow political can- week, up slightly from recent
didates or groups to rent weeks, but the big jump oc-
booths at their events – a sad- curred in the number of peo-
but-necessary response to an ple still in the hospital at press
alarming increase in com- time.
plaints about antagonistic
and confrontational conduct Going into the Indepen-
at the downtown gatherings. dence Day holiday weekend,
17 people had been admit-
You’d think Vero Beach, ted to Cleveland Clinic In-
where not too long ago we dian River Hospital with
took great pride in embrac- COVID-19, but on Monday,
ing the small-town charm hospital spokesperson Arlene
and neighborly feel that made Allen Mitchell said: “We have
our community worthy of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Lane, one block south of East Charges expected in crash that claimed life of John’s Island man
South Beach hit by Causeway Boulevard (17th
rash of car burglaries Street), where Vero Beach Po- BY LISA ZAHNER investigation of the crash by into the front vehicle, seriously
lice responded to a visitor’s Staff Writer the Indian River Shores Pub- injuring a John’s Island couple
BY RAY MCNULTY complaint Saturday morning lic Safety Department has not in their 80s, sending them both
Staff Writer that her purse had been sto- A rear-end collision on A1A been easy. to HCA Lawnwood hospital,
len from her unlocked van. near the entrance to Bermuda where the husband died of
At least nine vehicles were Bay that claimed the life of The crash, which occurred crash injuries.
burglarized last weekend in The Indian River County an elderly John’s Island man just after dusk, involved two
the South Beach area. Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, two months ago may soon see vehicles traveling northbound The driver of the Mercedes
was investigating at least charges brought against the on A1A. was also injured, and she too
Five of the burglaries oc- four other auto burglaries on driver of the rear vehicle, but was transported to the hospi-
curred along Sandpiper The rear vehicle, a black Mer-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 cedes convertible, slammed CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

July 21, 2022 Volume 15, Issue 29 Newsstand Price $1.00 Vero Film Festival
makes return and
News 1-10 Editorial 28 People 11-21 TO ADVERTISE CALL is scene-sation. P12
Arts 37-40 Games 31-35 Pets 22 772-559-4187
Books 30 Health 41-45 Real Estate 55-64
Dining 50-53 Insight 23-36 Style 46-49 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

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

2 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero Apparently, we’re not. “We wanted to give everyone two didates and groups that have abided
The political booth ban doesn’t take weeks’ notice,” Main Street Vero Beach by the rules and behave appropriate-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 effect until after the Aug. 23 primary Executive Director Susan Gromis said ly. But she said the board didn’t want
elections, which means the bad ac- of the decision made this month by to put in jeopardy Main Street Vero
its “Mayberry by the Sea” reputation, tors have one last chance on July 29 to the non-profit organization’s board of Beach’s status with the Internal Rev-
might be immune from the nasty po- harass, demean and attempt to intimi- directors. enue Service as a tax-exempt, chari-
litical polarization that has infected so date their opponents and their oppo- table and apolitical organization.
much of America. nents’ backers. Gromis concedes that prohibiting
all political booths is unfair to the can- “It’s not fair, but if we remove the

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 3

NEWS

rule breakers and allow the other can- candidates, these shameless dolts – approaching their opponents’ booths. cause justifies their boorish actions.
didates, it might give the appearance donning campaign shirts, hats and “I know we’ve become very polar- Gromis didn’t want to identify them,
of favoritism, even though we’re not buttons – can be seen deliberately
in any way political,” Gromis said. standing near their opponents’ booths ized, but it’s shocking to hear how but she said two of the six remaining
“Someone could challenge us and and trying to disrupt the representa- people talk to each other,” Gromis candidates for School Board seats bla-
accuse us of supporting or opposing tives’ interactions with people who said. “Everything has become so ad- tantly disregarded the organizers’ rules
particular candidates, so it’s easier to stop by. versarial.” prohibiting the posting of campaign
not allow any of them.” signs along 14th Avenue – despite be-
There also have been reports of It should come as no surprise, then, ing told in advance to not do so.
Gromis said the Downtown events – these over-the-top supporters at- that many of these people, including
scheduled for the final Friday of each tempting to discourage people from the candidates they support, no lon- “We didn’t want our venue blanketed
month – attract as many as 75 booths ger respect the rules, believing their
during the busier winter season and CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
up to 65 during the slower summer
months. About 15 of them are occu-
pied by local candidates and political
groups.

This year, along with a gubernato-
rial election that is expected to pro-
duce strong turnouts across Florida,
the local ballot will include contested
races for County Commission, School
Board, circuit judge and state repre-
sentative.

Candidates and political groups,
such as the Republican Executive
Committee and Democrats of Indian
River, each pay Main Street Vero Beach
$100 to have booths at the monthly
events.

“We’ll lose that money, but it won’t
have a huge impact,” Gromis said.
“Most of the feedback we’ve been get-
ting recently is that Downtown Fri-
day was becoming too political and
less family friendly. People felt over-
whelmed by the number of political
signs and shirts.”

That’s not the worst of it.
Though there haven’t been any
physical altercations at recent events,
Gromis said more than a few attend-
ees – especially parents who bring
their children – have expressed to or-
ganizers that they were appalled by
the in-your-face incivility of some
candidates’ overzealous supporters.
Gromis cited a particularly disturb-
ing incident that required police inter-
vention.
One Friday night, a group of people
dressed as pirates came out of a down-
town bar and stopped at the Demo-
crats of Indian River booth to harass
members of the club, attacking the
party’s abortion-rights position.
“There was a young girl standing
there, probably 10 or 11 years old, and
they were screaming at her,” Gromis
recalled. “They were merciless, and
she was traumatized. The police ar-
rived and told the pirates to leave,
which they did. But they came back
later.
“Thankfully, it didn’t get violent, but
people were scared.”
On other occasions, the event has
been marred by the venomous verbal
assaults, low-brow taunts and obnox-
ious behavior of candidates’ support-
ers and political bullies who seem to
view their opponents as enemies.
Not satisfied with promoting their

4 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero The rogue candidates didn’t care. “But based on what has happened at Gromis doesn’t expect the Down-
“This is not something we wanted our venue during this election season, town Friday politicking to stop,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 to do, and not everybody is going to be I believe in my heart this is the right though, especially with the likelihood
happy about it,” Gromis said of ban- thing to do,” she added. “We’ve had of one School Board race – and the
with campaign signs,” Gromis said, ex- ning the political booths from Down- several incidents and too many people possibility of one County Commission
plaining that organizers allowed signs town Friday. “I’m sure we’re going to who broke the rules, even after being race – going to a November runoff.
to be posted only at the booths and at have some people say this is the wrong warned.
“bump outs” adjacent to 14th Avenue. decision. There’s also the governor’s race,
“We had to do something.” which undoubtedly will spark fierce

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 5

NEWS

campaigning from local Republicans walking around and sometimes stand- In the meantime, Gromis said have fun,” Gromis said. “That’s what
and Democrats at public gatherings, ing near their opponents’ booths,” she and the board want to make the Downtown Friday is all about. It was
including Downtown Friday. Gromis said. Downtown Friday events more about never supposed to be about politics,
celebrating our community and less but we were in the political season and
“Even before this happened, we “We can’t monitor or restrict what about campaigning for local elections. I wanted to prove we could get through
had candidates who opted to not pay people wear, other than to prohibit it without bloodshed.
to have a booth, then sent out their profanity or the illusion of profanity,” One possibility she mentioned was to
supporters, who were wearing their she added, “so I expect they’ll still be introduce more activities for children. “Well, we did – but not without con-
campaign shirts or holding their signs, out there.”
“We want people to come out and troversy.” 

6 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Riverfront development will support [an iconic project] ... that the beachside shopping and dining The project for the acreage at the
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 balances the charm of the Florida vil- district on the island, looking to in- foot of the 17th Street Bridge was first
lage vibe with innovative design and tegrate the new project with existing proposed in 2019. The city called in
players who responded with detailed uses required to meet Vero Beach’s attractions and amenities to attain world-renowned architect and urban
proposals to the Request for Informa- changing needs.” economic synergy. planner Andres Duany, designer of
tion, or RFI, that the city put out sev- Windsor on northern end of the bar-
eral months ago. Most of the developers plan to in- All of them seem to love the size rier island, and conducted an elabo-
corporate the landmark, mid-centu- and openness of the site, which gives rate outreach to gather residents’
Miller, whose company bought ry modern powerplant, which shut guys used to working in tight urban thoughts about how the site should
the adjacent Fairlane Harbor mobile down in 2015, as part of the project. spaces plenty of elbowroom for larg- be developed.
home community in 2020 for $36 mil- escale construction.
lion and who owns a home in Vero Equity First see it as the ultimate Duany created a plan based on his
Beach, added: “It would be a tremen- boat storage barn, while others want According to E2L Real Estate, “Site aesthetic and resident input in 2020
dous boost for the area. There is room to use the main, “great hall” section constraints would typically require that included a hotel, marina, res-
on the site to develop a large success- for hotel, convention or retail space. certain work to be done in phased or- taurants, shops, housing, parks, rec-
ful project that would be the next big All include an engineering caveat, der” to allow space for construction reational facilities and a sailing club,
step for Vero Beach.” noting that plans could change if the traffic and material stockpiles. Here much of it housed in Old Florida ver-
massive structure turns out to have though, “given that there is ample nacular architecture, but with the ca-
Other developers agree. unseen problems. space on the site ... it is likely that the thedral-like powerplant rising above
“The site is in a great location and work for all elements will be started in the new buildings.
presents a unique opportunity” for a “At least one of the developers had a manner to optimize schedule and
master-planned destination devel- an engineer with them when we did reduce capital costs.” COVID-19 slowed progress and
opment, according to E2L Real Es- the walkthrough for the RFI,” said sowed doubts about the plan but
tate Solutions LLC, a Maitland, Flor- Vero Beach planning and develop- The city put out the Request for In- when the pandemic subsided, in-
ida-based developer that submitted ment director Jason Jeffries, who formation to keep the riverfront proj- terest resurged and the city pushed
a 26-page proposal. “Demand trends has been shepherding the project ect moving forward ahead of a No- forward, commissioning a feasibility
appear positive overall for a destina- through its many phases. “The engi- vember referendum in which voters study in 2021 and creating a master
tion and entertainment project with neer thought the building could be will give thumbs up or thumbs down conceptual plan based on Duany’s vi-
spaces anchored by hospitality, con- used but he isn’t going to put his seal to rezoning the city-owned site to al- sion early this year.
vention space and parks.” on that without a closer look. low mixed-use redevelopment.
Clearpath, an Indiana-based de- The feasibility study flashed green,
veloper whose principals have deep “Most likely, if it is used, the back “We wanted to keep things going concluding that, “The Plan is well
roots in finance, construction and de- part of the plant with the boilers and make sure there is interest out conceived and financially feasible.”
velopment, wrote in its proposal: “We would be torn down and just the great there on the part of developers,” Jef- Furthermore, it said, “The Plan is
believe the market and community hall section saved.” fries told Vero Beach 32963. “It is a marketable and likely to attract expe-
way of testing the market. If they take rienced and well capitalized develop-
Several of the developers envision the time to put detailed proposals to- ers.”
electric jitneys connecting the river- gether that gives us more confidence
front project to downtown Vero and that there is real interest.” That turned out to be true.
With the study and a masterplan in
PROVEN LEADERSHIP “The city created a great RFI,” said hand, the city put out its RFI in late
Miller. “It is a smart way to take the March. Developers read the study,
DERYL LOAR temperature and pulse of the devel- studied the plan, visited the site and
★ FOR ★ opment community and put not just nodded their heads.
COUNTY your toe but your foot in the water.” Jeffries made it clear to developers
that proposals would have to closely
COMMISSION If voters approve the project this adhere to the masterplan, especially
fall, the city will do further financial, when it came to the waterfront retail
PAID BY DERYL LOAR, REPUBLICAN, FOR INDIAN RIVER COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT 4 engineering and site-planning work and restaurant section. “There is a
to tighten up its parameters and then little more flexibility in the front sec-
put out a more formal Request for tion, depending on the type of hotel
Proposals, or RFP, getting down to and what happens with the power
brass tacks with the developers. plant building, but the waterfront
area has to be very close to our plan,”
That process is likely to attract ad- he said.
ditional development companies that Equity First, Clearpath, E2L Real
are waiting on the sidelines for voter Estate and Urgo Hotels and Resorts
approval before jumping in with both all wrote detailed proposals that ad-
boots. hered, more or less, with the master-
plan, and included detailed financial
The city owns about 35 acres on and company information along with
three corners at the intersection of design ideas.
17th Street and Indian River Boule- “I am very impressed with the City
vard, at the base of the Alma Lee Loy of Vero Beach and its leadership,” said
Bridge. Miller. “They took the time to do it
right, keeping what residents want
That includes 16 acres at the power always in the forefront. They didn’t
plant site north of the bridge, a simi- overdo it. They kept lots of green
lar amount of land south of the bridge space along with improvements and
where the city sewage plant will be amenities that locals will use and that
winding down operations in a few will attract people from outside the
years, and the 4.3-acre “old post office” area.
site on the west side of Indian River “Many cities on the east coast of
Boulevard, across from the sewer plant. Florida just want to pack as much as
they can in by the water and pour a
The RFI proposals mostly focus on
the powerplant site where the bulk of CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
the mixed-use project will be located,
but Equity First included plans for a
boutique grocery store on part of the
4.3-acre parcel. “I’d love to see a Trad-
er Joe’s in that spot,” Miller said.



8 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Riverfront development to come up to Vero to fish and it always A1A crash the hospital on a 20-day deadline to
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 seemed like a sanctuary. And this proj- provide the records, plus information
ect fits in with the character of the city. It CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 on the chain-of-custody of the blood
billion yards of concrete, but Vero is will maintain its look and feel forever.” test and results. Vero Beach 32963 ob-
much more sensitive. The city leaders tal. While no breathalyzer test was ad- tained a copy of the subpoena, but the
have kept overdevelopment in check Jeffries says he is encouraged by the ministered at the scene, a toxicology driver’s name had been redacted, as no
and came up with just the right bal- strong developer interest. test was performed at Lawnwood, as charges have yet been filed.
ance in this project between ameni- is standard procedure after a car crash.
ties and open park space – even at the “I have worked for 26 years in gov- Should the test results show that the
expense of things that would generate ernment and seen some cities come up Shores Public Safety Deputy Chief suspect driver was impaired when her
more revenue.” with pie-in-the-sky plans that aren’t re- Mark Shaw said typically, hospitals car rear-ended the John’s Island cou-
alistic. But the Vero has taken this step provide the blood tests to detectives ple at a high rate of speed, Shaw said
“I grew up in South Florida in the by step, carefully, and it has continued without a subpoena. But not in this “we would proceed with applying for
1960s when those cities were more like to move forward in a positive way.” case, so officers worked with prosecu- an arrest warrant.”
Vero and I saw overdevelopment en- tors at the State Attorney’s office to
gulf that area,” Miller added. “We used Stay tuned for the referendum. compel the release of the records. While the document service diffi-
If voters say yes to the plan, work culties stalled some action in the case,
could actually get underway in late Before a subpoena can be served Shores lead Detective Sgt. Kyle Smith
on the hospital, however, the person obtained other evidence to piece to-
2023.  whose medical records are being re- gether exactly what happened.
leased – in this case the driver of the
rear vehicle – must be served written Paint scrapings from both vehicles
notice affording them the opportunity were collected and sent for process-
to object within 10 days, and their ar- ing, as were samples of makeup resi-
gument be heard by a judge, Shaw said. due from the driver’s airbag, which
deployed in the crash.
If service of the notice is not com-
pleted within 20 days, authorization The Shores’ license plate cameras
for the subpoena expires and the State pinpointed when each of the vehicles
Attorney’s Office and police must start entered the town on A1A from the
all over again to obtain a new, valid south.
subpoena. That’s what happened in
this case. Records and video surveillance from
a local bar have also been obtained,
“The suspect did not accept service with processing of video in-progress.
and she did not pick up the notice at
the post office so it was returned to us, “Obviously this is the final and most
unserved,” Shaw said. important piece of the investigation,”
Shaw said Monday, referring to the
Finally a new authorization for the pending blood test results.
subpoena was obtained and officers
hand-delivered the notice to the home Both Shaw and Chief Rich Rosell
of the driver of the second vehicle – a have met several times with the son
resident of the Orchid Island Golf & of the John’s Island couple – who has
Beach Club. been in town to care for his mother
and take care of final arrangements
On July 11, the subpoena finally went for his stepdad – to keep the family
forward to HCA Lawnwood, putting informed of the investigation’s prog-

ress. 

South Beach auto burglaries said, adding that the owners didn’t
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 want to file police reports.

the barrier island, south of the Vero Those vehicles also were unlocked,
Beach city limits. Currey said, and although they had
been “rummaged through,” nothing
Vero Beach Police Chief David Cur- appeared to have been taken.
rey said Monday that a woman visit-
ing from Pennsylvania flagged down Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Joe
an officer on patrol to report the bur- Abollo did not respond to voice and
glary, which occurred between 8:30 text messages left on this phone,
p.m. Friday and 7:20 a.m. Saturday. and as of late Monday, the agency
still hadn’t provided the incident
Currey said the woman’s purse reports requested by Vero Beach
was later found in the roadway near 32963.
the home where she was staying, but
her wallet – which contained her Currey, however, said his depart-
driver’s license and bank cards – was ment listed four Sheriff’s Office case
missing. numbers pertaining to the auto bur-
glaries in the county. He also said
The wallet was found by sheriff’s deputies might have uncovered
deputies in the Pelican Lane neigh- doorbell camera footage of a possible
borhood, prompting police to believe suspect.
the South Beach auto burglaries in
the city and unincorporated county “We continue to tell people to lock
were related. their vehicles, but they just don’t do
it,” Currey said.
Officers who canvassed the Sand-
piper Lane neighborhood discovered “If a potential burglar sees some-
four other vehicles on the same street thing of value, he might break a win-
had been illegally entered, Currey dow to get in. More times than not,
though, if the vehicle is locked, he’s

going to move on.” 



10 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Bill Penney elected chairman of Florida Bankers Assn.

BY STEVEN M. THOMAS most powerful trade associations, the climate impact of their custom- making and legislation and will result
Staff Writer traveling to Tallahassee and Wash- ers’ businesses. in relationships that can be valuable
ington, D.C. frequently to lobby for to the bank and Vero Beach,” Penney
Vero Beach got another feather in regulations and legislation favorable Marine Bank is not publicly traded said.
its cap in last month when Marine to Florida banks. so the regulations, if enacted, would
Bank & Trust president and CEO Bill not affect it, but the Florida bank- “Our Chairs take time out of their
Penney was elected chairman of the “I will be back in Washington ing industry does not think the rules busy schedules to lead the fight for
Florida Bankers Association. next week,” Penney told Vero Beach make sense. our industry in Washington and Talla-
32963, adding that he will be lobby- hassee,” said FBA President and CEO
It is not a ceremonial position. ing against proposed regulations that He’ll also lobby for tax law reform to Alex Sanchez. “Bill is an experienced
As chairman he will be the face and would require publicly-traded banks require large credit unions with assets banker who is passionate about
voice of one of Florida’s oldest and to somehow assess and then report over $1 billion to pay taxes the same speaking out for our industry. His
as banks do. knowledge and leadership will make
him a powerful advocate for bankers
Currently, all federal credit unions throughout Florida.”
are exempt from federal taxes, and
bankers believe that gives big credit Under Penney’s leadership, Marine
unions an unfair business advantage. Bank weathered the Great Reces-
sion and housing downturn and has
Founded in 1888, the Florida Bank- thrived in recent years, in good times
ers Association includes hundreds of and bad, with assets more than dou-
small, medium and large banks that bling in the past two and a half years,
hold 98 percent of all deposits in the from $287 million on Jan. 1, 2020, to
state. Penney said his new gig, which $593 million today.
is a notable honor, will take up 10
percent to 15 percent of his time, and In the summer of 2020, during the
that his board and his staff at Marine early, scary days of the pandemic,
Bank have been “very supportive” of Marine Bank rode to the community’s
him taking on the statewide leader- rescue, securing nearly $100 million
ship role.
in PPP loans for local businesses. 
“It puts us at the forefront of rule-

Covid hospitalizations surge older age group are nearly twice as
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 likely to suffer a life-threatening case
of COVID-19 as their slightly younger
27 patients in house with COVID, one counterparts in the 50 to 64 age group.
is in critical care.” The five underlying conditions that
pose the most risk, when combined
Florida is still a hot spot for CO- with covid infection, are obesity, hy-
VID-19 transmission, with new infec- pertension, chronic lung disease,
tions rising 15.4 percent statewide last heart disease and metabolic condi-
week, but the number of Indian River tions such as diabetes.
County cases reported to the Florida
Department of Health held steady at While the 95 percent of local fully
456, only a single-digit fluctuation vaccinated seniors, and the nearly 70
from the previous report. percent of seniors who have opted for
boosters, eagerly await the upgraded
The number of cases reported here Omicron-targeted vaccine formula
has remained flat since early June, but due out this fall, adults who have not
it’s tough to tell how accurately that yet been vaccinated at all are expected
number really reflects the spread of to soon have a new option.
COVID-19 with the results of widely
used at-home test kits not being re- Last week the FDA approved a
ported to the health department. fourth vaccine formula, the Novavax
two-shot regimen, produced by a
The CDC estimates that roughly 70 Maryland-based company that was
percent of people turning up positive awarded $1.6 billion in 2020 through
right now are infected with the highly Operation Warp Speed to deliver 100
transmissible BA.5 Omicron sub-vari- million vaccine doses purchased by
ant. This mutation has shown to be the federal government.
more wily in terms of evading immu-
nity acquired via both vaccination and Clinical trials showed the vaccine
prior infection. was 90 percent effective in prevent-
ing serious COVID-19 illness requiring
With senior citizens here relying hospitalization.
upon vaccinations and boosters, that
means more older people with break- According to Mitchell, Cleveland
through infections, and in the hospital, Clinic has no immediate plans to dis-
a situation not unlike the early days of tribute Novavax should it be recom-
the pandemic prior to the availability mended for use by the CDC. “We are
of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. not offering the Novavax vaccine at
this time. Most likely, it will be avail-
According to CDC data going back able at community pharmacies soon,”
to March 2020, patients in the 65 and
she said. 

Debra Levasseur
and Karen Nuccitelli.

VERO BEACH FILM FESTIVAL

BACK IN SCENE-SATIONAL STYLE!

12 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Vero Beach Film Festival returns in scene-sational style!

PAR LA MER Douglas and Princess Thi-Nga Gallagher. Kathy Johnson, Deborah Dillon and Carolyn Toohey.

Charlotte Wagner, David Yakir and Elli Courtney. PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF, BENJAMIN THACKER, MARY SCHENKEL AND JOSH KODIS

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF AND MARY SCHENKEL JURY AWARDS from documentaries and comedy “So, the problem is here and it’s
Best Narrative Features: shorts to narrative features and en- impacting all of our systems. We all
Staff Writers vironmental shorts. need to be in this solution togeth-
“Coming Up for Air” er,” she said.
Movie buffs eagerly took their Best Documentary Feature: “Refuge” On Thursday evening, local film-
seats at the Vero Beach Film Festi- makers were applauded at the Vero “Coming Up for Air” highlighted
val, which returned after a three- Best Dramatic Short: Beach Theatre Guild during the the difficulties of a mother’s efforts
year hiatus. Organizers introduced “Bombs Bursting in Air” Opening Night Screening of their to take care of her college-age son,
a revised iteration, one which of- Vero-centric films. Submissions to whose drive to achieve academic
fered the same great diversity of Best Comedy Short: this category were required to have and athletic excellence has trig-
film genres, along with plenty of “Dragon Poets of Boston” been filmed on the Treasure Coast gered a mental health crisis.
parties and enough great wines to Best Documentary Short: or created by someone from the
appease even the pickiest of con- Treasure Coast. Film writer Roger Rapoport said
noisseurs. “Eddy’s World” that while mental health issues
Twelve films were screened that globally have worsened, and the de-
The four-day festival kicked off AUDIENCE AWARDS evening, a mix that included a music mand for services has skyrocketed,
with the elegant Par La Mer: An Eve- Best Documentary Feature: “Refuge” video, an animated short, an infor- more people are recognizing that
ning by the Sea at the Grand Harbor mational video about feeding peli- it’s OK to talk about and seek care.
Beach Club. It was a glorious eve- Best Comedy Short: “Bandwidth” cans, plus several fictional features A mental health counselor told him
ning that featured wines, wines and Best Narrative Feature: and public service-style announce- the average person who knocks on
more wines, to accompany a gour- “The Brink Of” ments. Also screened that evening their door has been thinking about
met surf and turf meal prepared by were four VB One Films submitted seeking help for 10 years.
Grand Harbor chefs that was as gor- Best Documentary Short: to the festival’s One-Minute Film
geous to look at as it was delicious “Connecting the Dots” contest. “I like to think that because of
to eat. During and after dinner, Audience Award for you, just the fact that you’re here,
supporters were treated to a dueling Two special film presentations that number will start to fall,” said
pianos performance that had at- Best Dramatic Short: “Indelible” highlighted the efforts of local non- Rapoport.
tendees up on their feet to sing and profit organizations.
dance along. STUDENT FILMS Debra Engle, CEO of Sunshine
Best Student Dramatic Film: Introducing “The Addict’s Wake,” Mental Health Center, said they
The film screenings were shown about overdose deaths in a rural In- take a holistic approach with cli-
in a more concentrated six down- “Code Red” diana town, Jill Landes, a documen- ents, treating the family along with
town locations this time around. Best Student Documentary Film: tary filmmaker and VBFF board the individual.
The Heritage Center served as the “Nature’s Secrets: Florida State Parks” secretary, said, “It’s set in Indiana,
festival hub and party central. but it could be any community any- “It’s important for us to talk about
Sponsors and VIPs looking for a where, including Vero Beach.” it, breaking that stigma. It used to
quiet place to “chill” relaxed at the be 60 percent of people that need-
Hidden Cellar lounge in one room Afterward, Carrie Maynard-Les- ed care did not look for it. And now
of the Vero Beach Woman’s Club, ter, executive director of the Sub- they are.”
while another room was used as a stance Awareness Center of Indian
new film venue. River County, said the film shares Indian River County Sheriff’s Of-
the beliefs of SAC, that recovery is fice Capt. Milo Thornton said the
And on Friday, filmmakers were possible, and that prevention works. film portrayed many of the same is-
feted at a special luncheon at the sues faced by students locally.
Edgewood Eatery, which also served “Our hope with this film is that
as a nightly after-hours gathering we can start more community con- “We’re available 24 hours a day,
place for anyone not ready to call it versations and more community seven days a week, and it’s free. So,
a night when films had stopped roll- support,” said Maynard-Lester. if you know someone is looking for
ing. help or needs help, please do not
Locally, she said, from 2020 to hesitate to call us,” said Thornton.
Film-wise, the festival offered 2021, there was a 70 percent in-
something for everyone’s taste, crease in overdose calls to EMS, After sitting in theaters all day, at-
and overdose deaths grew from 32 tendees stretched their legs at sev-
in 2020 to 57 in 2021. eral special evening events at the
Heritage Center.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 13

PEOPLE

Gordon Nordstrom, Suzanne Lloyd, Janis Nordstrom and Doris Kwek. Rosemary Howard, Halle Horn and Susan Keller Horn. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Heather Stapleton, Dave Guisto and Patti Lyons.

Xaque Gruber and Joann Gruber.

An Opening Night Party followed
the Vero Visions screenings, and on
Saturday, a Zoo Crew 1980s-themed
Dance Party followed the film
“Worse to First: The True Story of
Z100,” about a New York City radio
station in, you guessed it, the ’80s.
On Friday night attendees gathered
for a Grand Tasting, where they dis-
cussed their favorite films while
sampling a variety of noteworthy
wines.

To close out the weekend, every-
one gathered at the Majestic The-
ater on Sunday for the presentation
of the Juried and Audience Awards
before heading over to Hurricane
Wings for an outdoor After Party.

“Thank you to the audience for
showing up. Thank you to the film-
makers who are here; without you
we have no festival. And thank you
to the donors,” said David Yakir,
VBFF president.

Emcee Scott Tavlin had the honor
of announcing the awards, screen-
ing a selection of the winning films
after the presentations.

Xaque Gruber took home the Vero
Visions Award for his film “THE,”
about the “most commonly used
word in the English language,”
struggling to determine ‘her’ place
in the ever-changing world of words.

“‘THE’ was such a pleasure to
‘make,” said Gruber. “This festival
is such a labor of love. I thank my
parents for instilling in me a love
for language, which is what ‘THE’ is
about; it’s about our language.” 

14 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 Gregg and Kristin Casalino.
Phyllis and Ray Adams.

Danette Dieffenbach and Lynn O’Malley. Rusty Cappelen and Kay Kite. Angela Morgan with Anthony and Cynthia Vandermolen.

Leo and Olga Henriquez with Jennifer and Kelly Kite.

PAR LA MER

Logan Martin, Anthony Aruffo and Dr. Darrell Horn.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 15

PEOPLE

Ned and Lorry Gartner. Nancy and Hector Madrid. Dan and Gail Shepherd.

LaLa Halsema and Sunny Williams. Pat Kirchner and Angela Tuinman. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
John Aruffo and Christina Aruffo.

Andrew Morrison, Thelwel Johnson, Mark Wygonik and Mike Messier.

OPENING NIGHT

Marty Zickert and Patti Ores.

16 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
Carrie Maynard-Lester and Jill Landes.

“THE ADDICT’S WAKE”

Wilfred Hart, VBPD Chief David Currey, Judge Nicole Menz and Carrie Maynard-Lester.

Kenneth George, Halle Horn and Xaque Gruber.

VERO VISIONS Josh Friedman and Jill Landes.

Dan Culbert and Phil Osborne.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 17

PEOPLE

Sandy and Robi Robinson with Elizabeth Borne. Chloe Cappelen and Dawson Jolly.

VERO VISIONS Ericka and Brandon Reardin. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
Nicole Maddux and Monica Wojcik.
Lorry Gartner and Isabel Garrett.

Michele and Rob Wayne. Susan and David Knoll.

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20 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 GRAND TASTING Barbara Heim, Meg Cavanaugh and Gail Long.
Paul Genke and Lila Blakeslee.
Christine and Mike Endres.

“COMING UP FOR AIR” Walter and Patty Garrard with Etta Schaller. Diana and Bob Thompson.

Tracy Hernandez, Susan Horn and Debra Engle.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 21

PEOPLE

Vince Williams, Jacob Young and Jarrett Ksiazek. Robin and Mary Volsky.

WHY HEARING TESTS ARE IMPORTANT?

Katana Malone and Susan Keller Horn. Aaron Liebman, Au. D. noticeable hearing loss should is what really differentiates me
have their hearing tested every from a traditional hearing aid
Rosemary Howerdel and Susan Garde. Doctor of Audiology three to five years. More frequent salesman. I have a Doctorate in
hearing tests are recommended Audiology and my diagnosis is
CLOSING CEREMONY We tend to take our hearing particularly to people over the based on years of education,
for granted, assuming it will age of 60. not a few months of hearing
Patti Paul and Debbie DiVerde. always be there for us, even aid salesmanship. I will take
though hearing loss affects 1 out Regular hearing exams can the time to screen and assess
of 3 adults aged 65 and older. help an audiologist offer a all the data prior to making a
Hearing impairment develops treatment solution to those who recommendation for hearing
so gradually that many aren’t might otherwise experience the aids. Even AARP says that you
even aware of a problem until it debilitating social and emotional are more likely to be successful
has advanced beyond an easily effects of living with a hearing with a hearing aid fitting by
treatable stage. This could be impairment. Cognitive decline seeing an audiologist than a
avoided if we treated our ears and social withdrawal are hearing aid salesman.”
with the same care and attention eventual difficulties individuals
paid to our eyes; much like with untreated hearing loss can Florida requires licensed
routine vision exams, regular possibly experience. audiologist to have a doctorate
hearing exams are an excellent in audiology requiring years
first line of defense. Early Dr. Liebman recommends having of study concerning hearing,
detection increases the odds of a hearing test whenever you feel hearing rehabilitation, anatomy,
successful treatment. that you are experiencing more and function of the hearing
difficulty understanding. “Most mechanism and hearing aid
Some degree of hearing loss is people are not aware when they technology. Dr. Liebman utilizes
natural as we age. Few adults need help. They’ll often blame a range of manufacturers and
give their hearing much thought it on other people mumbling, technologies and does not believe
unless they are experiencing background noise, or say the TV one manufacturer is “the best”.
a noticeable loss in hearing or radio volume is too low”, said
ability. By then, their options Liebman. “So they’re surprised “If we determine that it is not the
for treatment may be more when they are tested and realize best for you, then we’ll change to
limited. The American Speech- what they can’t hear.” At least by a different style or manufacturer
Language-Hearing Association’s the age of 60 you should have a to determine which is best for
(ASHA) guidelines state that hearing screening. If you have you.” “Furthermore”, he adds, “in
healthy adults aged 18-40 been told you have a hearing addition to providing the best
who are not experiencing any loss but you have not been fit technology possible, it is also vital
with hearing aids, then you that the “fitter” understands that
should be checked annually. In technology, so the chosen hearing
addition, at age 65 you should aid can benefit the patient at the
be checked annually. highest possible level possible,
in terms of comfort and sound
“First and foremost, my goal as quality.” Dr. Liebman works with
an Audiologist is to perform a patients to ensure they have the
proper diagnostic hearing test appropriate device for their needs,
so I can decide whether a patient expectations and budget.
needs to be referred to an ear,
nose and throat physician for Aaron’s Hearing Care is located
a medical evaluation, or if this at 925 37th Place in the Citrus
is strictly a permanent hearing Medical Plaza of Vero Beach.
loss that needs help with hearing Call (772)562-5100
aids,” Dr.Liebman said. “That

22 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PETS

Bonz says Elvis ain’t no hound dog … he’s a piglet!

Hi Dog Buddies! “I’m SO happy to meet you all! play lots, ’cept, when I get ’cited an OINK,
he thinks I’m a squeaky toy an tries sha-
My summer, so far, has been fulla suh- Master Elvis, YOU are my very first kin’ me so GrannyRobin makes him stop,
prizes. This week’s innerview-ee, for ex- cuz I am still fallin’ over time-to-time.”
ample. My next pooch innerview-ee is pig innerview-ee!” I told him.
not till next week, so I was askin’ around “Hi, Edwin,” Elvis addressed a pile of
an came across Elvis Lemley. “I all-MOS didn’t make it into white fluff sittin’ inna comfy box onna
table “This is Edwin, he’s a, um …”
Elvis is a liddle-bitty PIG-let, maybe 3 the ummmm …” Elvis began, then
pounds, an pretty much bran new, just “RAH-butt,” said Dusty. Edwin looked
born June 18. But he’s a smart liddle muf- looked at Dusty. up long enuf to say, “Humpff.”
fin, an it was Super Crispy Biscuits hea-
rin’ his tail, an meetin’ some of his frens. “World,” said Dusty. “He’s a Grumble Bunny,” Dusty com-
mented.
For the innerview, me an my assistant “Yes. World. GrannyRobin res-
drove down this looong, bumpy, dusty “I am also having cat frens, Frisco an
road wa-ay out in the country, to a big cued my pig mom, Francesca, from Tony. They being up in the raff-ters most-
barn with fences, lotsa grass anna pond. ly. An outside, in the big pen under those
the side of, of …” … those …”
As we were gettin’ outta the car, a han-
some Mal-un-wah poocheroo came trot- “Oslo Road,” said Dusty. Elvis.PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS “Trees,” said Dusty.
tin’ up. “Hey there. I’m Dusty. You’re Mr. “Right. Mom was PREG-nut. At “TREES, is the resta my pig famly.
Bonzo the writer, am I right? My liddle GrannyRobin says I’ll always be a house
buddy’s expectin’ you. Follow me.” GrannyRobin’s house me an my pig, but I should also get to know fellow
pigs, when I’m bigger.”
The barn was nice an cool. Open airy brother Taz got borned. Taz stood GrannyRobin, Elvis under her arm,
rooms (inna barn they’re Stalls) lined went to the end of the barn an returned
both sides, with horses in some of ’em. up right away but I jus lay inna heap. “Stall,” prompted Dusty. with a slice of wadermelon. “I LOVE WA-
Dusty showed us to a comfy couch. As I DERmelon!” Elvis exclaimed, an, sittin’
was gettin’ my notebook out, a lady ap- Mom musta thought I were already gone “Yes. Stall. PLUS, GrannyRobin buy for in GrannyRobin’s lap, he began munch-
proached carryin’ the tiny PIG-let, whom ing methodically, like it was his Job. It
she placed gently on the ground. to … um …” me some just-for-pig-lets food, ‘Squeals was hilarious. Across one way, back the
other, making soft snorty liddle noises,
Elvis kinda looked like he was stand- “Pig Heaven,” said Dusty. of Joy,’ which has GRAIN (I dunno what happily devouring the entire pink slice.
ing on tip-toe, on his tiny liddle hoofs. He When he came up for air, his liddle snoot
was non-stop wiggly, which, I assumed, “Yep. But GrannyRobin cuddled me an that is) AN some oats-an-hunny TREETS was covered with wadermelon residoo
was how he got his name. His cuteness an he was smilin’.
factor was off the charts, specially his give to me yummy milk from a … umm which Dusty says I will very much like. Heading home, I was smilin’, too, pich-
snuffly liddle snoot, all shiny an flat at urin’ tiny liddle Elvis the rescue pig, safe,
the end, snufflin’ non-stop. ... a …” I get to try ’em next week, when I’ll be warm an happy, with a lovin’ Granny, a
barn full of pals, two pooch besties an his
“Heh-WOE, Miffter Bodzo! I’m ELL- “Goat.” MUCH older.” very own Forever Home. 
vus Lemley. This is my GrannyRobin an
THIS is our BARN. We BOARD. We are “Right. Also rice SERI-ell like for HOO- “That’s exciting, Elvis!” I said. “Looks The Bonz
here every day. I play an nap an Granny-
Robin does lotsa, ummm, lotsa …” mun pig-lets …” like you have lotsa frens out here.” Don’t Be Shy

Elvis turned to Dusty. “Babies,” corrected Dusty. Snuggled in GrannyRobin’s arms, with We are always looking for pets
“Work.” Dusty said. with interesting stories.
“Yes! Work!” Elvis said in his oinky “Right. Babies. Soon, GrannyRobin Dusty trottin’ alongside, Elvis did a fine
liddle voice. “Dusty’s helpin’ me with To set up an interview, email
speeching cuz I’m bran new an I don’t puts my mom an Taz out here with the job with innerductions. [email protected].
have all the WURDS or the pro-NUNCE-
ments yet.” udder pigs, but I too weak. I sleep wiss “This is GrannyRobin’s horse Topaz.

GrannyRobin. I wakes up for more milk He’s an Apple Loosely with lotsa spots an

every two, every two …” one looks like a heart.”

“Hours.” “Sup?” said Topaz, gazing down at us.

“Hours! Cuzza bein’ HUNG-gree. “A pleasure, Mr. Topaz,” I replied, look-

Then GrannyRobin says, ‘Soon you gotta ing up into his nose an feeling a tad, well,

sleep 6 hours in the nite!’ She sounds like short.

she really wans me to do that. I doesn’t “GrannyRobin’s other horse, Joey,

wanna at first cuz 6 took longer than 2, is still outside. An this is Tika, she’s an

but I finely does an she is very, very, umm Apple Loosely, too, she’s sorta like ev-

…” erybody’s horse Gramma cuz she’s very,

“Happy. Relieved. Proud,” Dusty sug- very old.”

gested. Tika looked like snowflakes had fallen

“I still love snugglin’ wiff GrannyRobin all over her dark coat.

but I now sleep in my own big umm …” “Well, little one, you’re lookin’ perky,”

“Dog crate.” she said to Elvis. “Good morning, young

“YES! With GrannyRobin’s T-shirt man,” she said to me. “Welcome to our

anna BLANG-ut an two monkey stuffies barn.” Then she nodded her head and

which are more big than me. Granny- closed her eyes for a morning nap.

Robin brings ’em here every day for when “This is BUDDY,” Elvis continued, in-

I nap in my speshull, my speshull …” dicatin’ a bouncy little gold Korgi. “We



DMBESS’E$R50T0DBRILELAIOMN

BY VIVIAN NEREIM Top: A rendering from an internal
BLOOMBERG "style catalog" for the planned

One day last September, a curious high-tech region of Neom. Bottom:
email arrived in Chris Hables Gray’s A map of the proposed Neom site.
inbox. An author and self-described
anarchist, feminist, and revolutionary, The chosen site in Saudi Arabia’s far
Gray fits right into Santa Cruz, Calif., northwest, stretching from the sun-
where he lives. He’s written extensively scorched Red Sea coast into craggy
about genetic engineering and the in- mountain badlands, has summer tem-
evitable rise of cyborgs. peratures over 100 fahrenheit and al-
most no fresh water. Yet, according to
While Gray had taken some consult- MBS and his advisers, it will soon be
ing gigs over the years, he’d never re- home to millions of people who’ll live
ceived an offer like this one. The first in harmony with the environment, re-
shock was the money: significantly lying on desalination plants and a fully
more than he’d earned from all but renewable electric grid.
one of his books.

The second was the task: research-
ing the aesthetics of seminal works of
science fiction such as Blade Runner.
The biggest surprise, however, was
the ultimate client: Mohammed bin
Salman, the 36-year-old crown prince
of Saudi Arabia.

MBS, who hosted President Biden in
Jeddah last week, is in the early stages
of one of the largest and most difficult
construction projects in history, which
involves turning an expanse of desert
the size of Belgium into a high-tech
city-region called Neom.

Starting with a budget of $500 billion,
MBS bills Neom as a showpiece that
will transform Saudi Arabia’s economy
and serve as a testbed for technologies
that could revolutionize daily life. And
as Gray’s proposed assignment sug-
gested, the crown prince’s vision bears
little resemblance to the cities of today.
Intrigued, Gray took the job.

Gray had signed on to a city-building
exercise so ambitious that it verges on
the fantastical.

An internal Neom “style catalog”
viewed by Bloomberg includes eleva-
tors that somehow fly through the sky,
an urban spaceport, and buildings
shaped like a double helix, a falcon’s out-
stretched wings, and a flower in bloom.

They’ll benefit from cutting-edge and former employees interviewed for imprisonment of many of his own fami- environment and a culture of wild
infrastructure and a regulatory system this story, as well as 2,700 pages of in- ly members that his desires can’t be met. overspending with few results.
designed expressly to foster new ideas ternal documents, the project has been
– as long as those ideas don’t include plagued by setbacks, many stemming Efforts to relocate the indigenous And along the way, Neom has be-
challenging the authority of MBS. from the difficulty of implementing residents of the Neom site, who’ve come something of a full-employment
There may even be booze. Neom ap- MBS’s grandiose, ever-changing ideas – lived there for generations, have been guarantee for international architects,
and of telling a prince who’s overseen the turbulent, devolving on one occasion futurists, and even Hollywood pro-
Top: A conceptual rendering of Sil- into a gun battle. Dozens of key staff duction designers, each taking a cut
ver Beach. Bottom: MBS unveiling have quit, complaining of a toxic work of Saudi Arabia’s petroleum riches in
exchange for work that some strongly
Neom at the Future Investment suspect will never be used.
Initiative conference.
It would be unfair to entirely dismiss
pears to be one of the crown prince’s Neom as an autocrat’s folly. Parts of
highest priorities, and the Saudi state the plan, such as a $5 billion facility to
is devoting immense resources to produce hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles
making it a reality. and other uses, are rooted in current
economic realities, and building a glob-
Yet five years into its development, al hub almost from scratch isn’t without
bringing Neom out of the realm of sci- precedent in the region; even 30 years
ence fiction is proving a formidable ago, most of Dubai was empty sand.
challenge, even for a near-absolute
ruler with access to a $620 billion sov- Since he became Saudi Arabia’s de
ereign wealth fund. facto ruler in 2017, MBS has demon-
strated a talent for imposing dramatic
According to more than 25 current change, doing away with large swaths
of the religious restrictions that used to
bind every aspect of daily life. Women
are pouring into the workforce, and
teenagers are able to dance at sold-out
music festivals – events that were pre-
viously unimaginable.

Nonetheless, the chaotic trajectory
of Neom so far suggests that MBS’s ur-
ban dream may never be delivered.

“I was not alone in realizing that it
was spurious at best,” Andy Wirth, an
American hospitality executive who
worked on Neom in 2020, says of the
project. “The complete absence of be-
ing tethered to reality, objectively, is
what was demonstrated there.”

MBS introduced Neom at the in-
augural Future Investment Initiative,
a glitzy conference for international
investors held in 2017 at Riyadh’s Ritz-
Carlton Hotel.

Everything about Neom, which is
a portmanteau combining the Greek
word for “new” with mustaqbal, Ara-
bic for “future,” would be cutting-edge.
The difference between it and an ordi-
nary city, MBS declared from the stage,
would be as stark as the gap between
an old Nokia and a sleek smartphone.

The idea of an authoritarian polity run
for the benefit of international capital
had a certain appeal to the Davos class.
Steve Schwarzman and Masayoshi Son,
the chief executives of Blackstone Inc.
and SoftBank Group Corp., respectively,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

26 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 INSIGHT COVER STORY

were among the international financiers Left to right: Employees heading for a meal. One of Neom's housing second bucket is for all the shit you take.
who endorsed the project. Klaus Klein- complexes for employees. Temporary office buildings. When that bucket is full, you pick up
feld, the former CEO of Alcoa Inc., was your bucket of gold and leave. It often
appointed to lead it. A planned seaside hotel. doesn’t take long; many people Neom
hires last less than a year.
Architects and planners were also in- “If I had to put a bottom line for all Most were required to live on the
terested, seeing a rare chance to shape a the work that I did in this era, it was project site, where Neom had con- Wirth, the American hospitality exec-
metropolis from the ground up. Neom presentations and PowerPoints that structed temporary housing – comfort- utive, was hired to work on a particularly
looked like a “pace-setter in terms of went into the garbage the next week,” able if basic apartments in the desert, expensive project: a Neom ski resort.
new kinds of thinking around mobil- says a former manager who worked on with an army of migrant laborers tak- The idea is slightly less absurd than it
ity and energy,” says John Rossant, the Silver Beach. “It was the least produc- ing care of food, cleaning, and laundry. sounds. Temperatures sometimes dip
chairman of NewCities, a nonprofit fo- tive part of my whole life in terms of Remote work was discouraged during below freezing on the region’s higher
cused on urban issues, who joined its doing real things and the most produc- the pandemic; in 2020 the government mountaintops; with enough snow-mak-
advisory board. tive in terms of the money I got.” chartered flights from London to bring ing equipment, it could be possible to
Neom staff to Saudi Arabia. facilitate a winter ski season.
Although the Neom site was in a re- The work could indeed be phenom-
gion few Saudis have ever visited, MBS enally lucrative. Neom offered tax-free As more of them arrived, foreign em- But Wirth soon grew alarmed by the
made clear that he expected it to be- salaries of $700,000 to $900,000 for ployees began describing their experi- environmental implications. The re-
come a hub for national life. some senior expatriates – more than 20 ences with a joke: When you start at sort plans called for building an artifi-
times the income of the average Sau- Neom, you bring two buckets. The first cial lake, which would require blowing
Neom’s first major development was di – and a broad range of other perks. is to hold all the gold you’ll accumulate, up large portions of the landscape. The
planned for Sharma, a modest town of With pay packages like that, it had little and with so many living expenses taken Vault, an adjacent hotel and residential
car repair shops and concrete houses trouble attracting foreign staff. care of, it will soon grow heavy. The development, would occupy a man-
scattered around a placid bay. The goal made canyon, essentially “a massive
was to create a community inspired by open-pit mine,” Wirth says.
the Côte d’Azur, with an initial popula-
tion of almost 50,000. It was a landscape that might have
been lifted from Foundation, an Apple
The result was a concept called Sil- TV+ series set thousands of years in the
ver Beach. Instead of mere sand, the future that MBS has said he enjoys.
seaside would be lined with crushed
marble, planners noted, which would “We couldn’t even estimate the
shimmer in the sun like silver. Bound build cost,” Wirth says. “We were
by tight deadlines to begin construc- hanging buildings on the side of cliffs,
tion, Neom staff and consultants and we didn’t even know the geology.”
worked overtime for weeks to refine He decided faster than most that his
the design, which also included a yacht No. 2 bucket was overflowing. Wirth
club, an electric-car racing circuit, and resigned in August 2020, five months
more than 400 mansions, some as large into the job.
as 100,000 square feet.
Jan Paterson, a British-Canadian
Then, in the first quarter of 2019, the who heads planning for Neom’s “sports
project was abruptly shelved, several sector,” says she wants her grandchil-
former employees say. Two of them re- dren to grow up in the city, which she
call being told that the concept, even hopes will be the most physically active
with its lustrous seaside, wasn’t imagi- urban center in the world.
native enough for Neom’s leadership.
Her eyes light up as she describes
Real estate development can involve an ideal day in the Neom of the future.
considerable trial and error, and many Imagine a sixth grader, she says. When
designs never see the light of day. But to he wakes up, his home will scan his
the employees, scrapping Silver Beach metabolism. Because he had too much
was part of a pattern of working furi- sugar the night before, the refrigerator
ously on ambitious, expensive plans will suggest porridge instead of the gra-
that were quickly abandoned – such as nola bar he wanted.
one of Neom’s early initiatives, a $200
billion solar field that was canceled Outside he’ll find a swim lane in-
soon after being announced. stead of a bus stop. Carrying a water-
proof backpack, he’ll breaststroke the

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 27

whole way to school. Paterson actual- INSIGHT COVER STORY ous Monument hung on the wall,
ly means this; Neom says it’s consider- showing a linear structure swallowing
ing an idea for canals filled with swim- Early construction for a Neom industrial zone. the whole world. The caption invited
mable water, creating a novel aquatic viewers to “imagine a near future in
commuting option. which all architecture will be created
with a single act.” The idea stayed in my
In January 2021, MBS appeared on mind long after leaving Neom, where I
Saudi television to introduce Neom’s flew in a helicopter over the spot where
most far-fetched element yet, a “civiliza- the Line is supposed to begin.
tional revolution” called the Line. A “lin-
ear city” 100 miles long, it would gener- From far above, the construction
ate zero carbon emissions. Its 1 million vehicles churning the ground looked
residents would occupy a car-free sur- like toys. There was already a faint but
face layer, with no one more than five unmistakable slash – one man’s will
minutes’ walk from essential amenities; carved into the desert. It traced inland
utility corridors and high-speed trains from the sea toward the mountains,
would be hidden underground, along then disappeared in the haze. 
with infrastructure for moving freight.

Neom staff are still working nonstop
to deliver the Line and to move for-
ward with other projects. To Neom’s
backers, the detailed planning is all
part of a serious effort to create a hy-
permodern city – a bold initiative but
not a ridiculous one.

Ali Shihabi, a commentator close to
the government who sits on the Neom
advisory board, says he divides its com-
ponents into two categories: those that
could make a realistic near-term differ-
ence to Saudi Arabia, such as improved
desalination technology, and those that
he concedes are more “aspirational.”

At the same time, Neom executives
and their array of consultants continue
to generate yet more ideas, some of
them informed directly by Hollywood.
Over the past several years, Neom has
commissioned work from Olivier Pron,
a designer who helped create the look of
the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and
Nathan Crowley, who’s known for his
work on the Dark Knight trilogy. It’s also
hired Jeff Julian, a futurist with credits on
World War Z and I Am Legend, movies
that depict a zombie apocalypse and the
aftermath of a pandemic that’s wiped
out most of humanity, respectively.

Gray, the Santa Cruz author, was hired
to help conceive a high-end tourism
zone called the Gulf of Aqaba, which in-
ternal documents say will feature luxu-
rious homes, marinas, nightclubs, and
a “destination boarding school.” MBS
told its designers that he liked the aes-
thetic of “cyberpunk,” a sci-fi subgenre
that typically depicts a dark, tech-in-
fused future with a seedy underworld.

It remains to be seen, of course,
whether ideas like the Gulf of Aqaba
will survive contact with financial and
physical reality.

At a recent art biennale in Riyadh,
renderings of Superstudio’s Continu-

28 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

ROMANIA FEARS PUTIN, BUT PUTIN MAY FEAR ROMANIA

BY ROBERT D. KAPLAN reaching Moldova. style chairs, with the panel of judges a few feet away.
As for European allies coming to the rescue, Roma- Only two days earlier, they had essentially owned a pal-
In 1984, during the darkest period of Romanian dic- ace literally comparable in size to the Pentagon.
tator Nicolae Ceausescu’s Stalinist rule, I visited Targov- nians do not trust France and Germany at all. French
ishte, over an hour northwest of the capital, Bucharest. President Emmanuel Macron, it is thought, will sacri- From the trial room they were marched down a short
It was a hellish town of mud-strewn streets, a few bat- fice any principle for the sake of making France a mid- hallway into a courtyard, where they were summarily
tered cars, without any decent place to eat and garbage dleman between Russia and Ukraine. blindfolded and shot.
everywhere. People looked and smelled bad.
As for the Germans, they have already built two Everything good that has happened in Romania orig-
Two weeks ago, I revisited Targovishte for the first Nord Stream pipelines for Russian gas. “And what gets inates in that moment. In all the visits I have made to
time in almost four decades. It is now a gleaming, vi- built, eventually gets used,” a local analyst told me. It Romania over the decades, I have never detected any
brant town of new roads with speed bumps, clipped was a refrain I heard from others: When winter comes, remorse for how the couple came to their end.
flowers and hedgerows, new supermarkets and restau- and Germany and other parts of Europe suffer heat-
rants, and late-model cars everywhere. People looked ing shortages, that’s when European resolve against Through all the vicissitudes of weak and corrupt
and dressed like anywhere in the West. Russia will erode. democratic governments since 1989, life here is better
and more secure than at any time in their history. This
Targovishte is a miracle wrought by Romania’s Despite the economic development of the past three is a lawful state dedicated to the rights of the individual,
membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- decades, the West still has to prove itself here. not to some mythical collective will and destiny like
tion and the European Union; the former having Ceausescu’s Romania and Putin’s Russia.
provided a seal of approval for initial investment in I came to Targovishte to visit the place where Ceaus-
2004, and the latter providing aid and standards for escu and his wife, Elena, were tried and executed on Putin’s authoritarian rule is not on the scale of Ceaus-
development for years now. Christmas Day, 1989 – an event that has direct bearing escu’s, which featured authentic slave labor camps,
on what is happening in Ukraine. food rationing and the destruction of a vast historic
The countrysides of not only Romania but other area of the capital – dynamited to oblivion to make way
Central and Eastern European states that joined NATO The rushed show trial of the Ceausescus hap- for a Stalinist City of the Dead housing bleak govern-
and the EU in the first decade of the 21st century look pened in a tiny room in the old Calvary school near ment offices.
similar. A revolution ofWesternization has occurred be- the railway tracks.
yond the capital cities of formerly Communist Europe. But much like Ceausescu, Putin, by invading Ukraine,
The political and economic stability of theWest now ex- Having drunk fully of the cup of power, having met has embarked on an extreme and risky journey whose
tends all the way to the Russian border. presidents and prime ministers, having ridden in a end cannot be fathomed. There is a lesson yet for Putin
coach with Queen Elizabeth and been the objects of in Ceausescu’s fall.
Nevertheless, Romania, with the largest population adulation at heavily staged rallies, the two found them-
and territory in southeastern Europe, is a worried na- selves jammed into a corner of the cramped room be- Ceausescu never smiled. He always looked “worried,
tion. It has been trapped historically by its proximity fore a plywood table and seated on two kindergarten- preoccupied,” a nephew of his told me some years ago.
to Russia, whose army has now invaded next door. Ro-
mania and Romanian-speaking Moldova have a longer From lording over a gargantuan palace, then within
border with Ukraine than does Poland. the space of 24 hours or so going to sleep on camp beds
in a small room without a toilet or heating in the winter
Romania and Moldova are perilously close to the night, eating out of mess tins, awaiting trial and execu-
war in Ukraine tion – such was the fate of the Ceausescus.

Romanian experts believe Russian President Vlad- Some believe the thought may have crossed Pu-
imir Putin will continue to slog forward in eastern tin’s mind that something similar might one day be-
Ukraine, and eventually annex the Donbas region fall him. 
to Russia proper. They expect Putin to slowly build
a land bridge to Crimea and beyond, eventually A version of this column first appeared in The Wash-
ington Post. It does not necessarily reflect the views of
Vero Beach 32963.

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 29

INSIGHT OP-ED

When Auto Train trip is derailed, Amtrak only offers voucher

because of a “service disruption” and ing to the rail carrier, if it cancels your executives I list on my consumer ad-
no other transportation was available. train, your fare is refundable. That's vocacy site, Elliott.org.
The message advised me to call Amtrak an industry-wide practice by the
right away to reschedule. When I called, way – even airlines offer full refunds Another option would have been
a representative told me the next avail- when they cancel flights. You should to a dispute on your credit card un-
able train was three days later. have had an option to receive either a der the Fair Credit Billing Act. But you
voucher or a refund. have to act fast. You had 60 days to
We could not wait three days. It was a dispute the charges, so at this point,
confusing time. People across the coun- But as you said, it was a confusing that option is off the table.
try were scared because of the pandem- time. Two years ago, we were at the be-
ic. The governor of Florida was telling ginning of the pandemic. Travel com- I contacted Amtrak on your behalf.
visitors to go home. We decided to fol- panies were desperately trying to save It offered you a full refund for your
low the governor’s instructions, and we cash. It wasn't unusual to find airlines tickets, which you have accepted. 
drove 1,500 miles to Massachusetts. or hotels trying to force customers into
accepting a nonrefundable, voucher Get help with any consumer prob-
When we got home, I called Am- with a defined expiration date. lem by contacting Christopher Elliott
trak and requested a refund. An Am-
trak representative told me I could By the way, you seem at http://www.elliott.org/help
not have a cash credit, but offered a to have done everything
Cynthia Donahue and her husband voucher for travel within two years. right. You also followed
had tickets on the Auto Train. Then Amtrak then sent me the travel cred- the directions of local
Amtrak cancels and offers them a ticket it, also identified on the paper as a authorities and returned
credit that expires within two years. voucher code and voucher value. home at the outset of
Can they do that? the pandemic instead
I am elderly and have health con- of staying in Florida.
QUESTION: cerns, so a travel credit or voucher is
of no help. Is there anything you can If you didn't like the
My husband and I were scheduled do to get a $834 refund for us? way Amtrak handled
to take the Amtrak Auto Train from your ticket credit,
Sanford, Fla., to Washington, D.C., two ANSWER: you could have
years ago. We received a surprising reached out to
text message at noon the day before I think Amtrak may have overlooked one of the Amtrak
departure that our train was canceled something with your ticket. Accord-

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30 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

Good sportswriting is not mainly about who BASEBALL’S BEST EVER Charles, a journeyman infielder in the 1960s,
won the game. It’s about who played the game – who recalled “the biggest day of my life,”
their flaws and fears, triumphs and tears. It’s also A HALF CENTURY OF COVERING HALL OF FAMERS when he was 13 and Robinson came through
about the social setting in which those games are BY IRA BERKOW. | SPORTS PUBLISHING. 528 PP. $40 his hometown in Florida with the Brooklyn
played, about the way sports reflect and reveal REVIEW BY STEVEN V. ROBERTS, THE WASHINGTON POST Dodgers. “I realized then I could play in the
our humanity. In this collection of his newspaper major leagues,” Charles said. “When it was
columns, “Baseball’s Best Ever: A Half Century of stop of the St. Louis Cardinals: “He leaps, he dives, over, we chased the Dodger train as far as we
Covering Hall of Famers,” Ira Berkow quotes an- he whirls. He seems to appear behind second base could with Robinson waving to us from the
other sportswriter, the immortal Red Smith, on as if popping from underground; he can soar and back. We ran until we couldn’t hear the sound
this point: “Games are a part of every culture we stay aloft like a hummingbird and wait for a line any more. We were exhausted but we were
know anything about. … The man who reports on drive to arrive.” Of Kirby Puckett, a rotund yet ro- never so happy.” For another angle Berkow
these games contributes his small bit to the record bust hitter for the Minnesota Twins, Berkow says interviews Larry Doby, who integrated the
of his time.” that he “is built like a keg of dynamite and periodi- American League just after Robinson’s debut
cally explodes like one.” and remembered the loneliness of being a
Berkow, who wrote mainly for the Newspaper pioneer once the games were over: “It’s then
Enterprise Association syndicate and then for the One of this volume’s recurring themes is the in- you’d really like to be with your teammates,
New York Times, donates more than a “small bit” to tersection of race and baseball, and Berkow has a win or lose, and go over the game. But I’d go
that record. I often found myself skipping over the creative way of showing the impact of Jackie Robin- off to my hotel in the black part of town, and
statistics and the standings he writes about – we al- son, who integrated the sport in 1947. He turns to Ed they’d go off to their hotel.”
ready know what happened, after all – and focusing
on the personal stories, especially the ones about I laughed a lot, too. One of my favorite char-
failure and disappointment. Here for instance is acters is Lefty Gomez, a southpaw pitcher with
Mickey Mantle, a boyhood idol of mine, who told the Yankees in the ’30s who once said about
Berkow in 1971, three years after retiring from the the slugger Jimmie Foxx, “He’s got muscles in
New York Yankees: “Playing baseball is all I’ve ever his hair.” Lefty’s catcher Bill Dickey recalled a
known. It makes me kind of bitter that it’s all over. game when Gomez kept shaking off his signs
You look around and see other guys my age, other as Foxx came to bat. Finally Dickey ran out to
guys forty years old, who are just starting to reach the mound and asked Lefty what he wanted
their peak in other jobs. And I’m finished.” to throw. “I don’t want to throw him nothin’,”
replied the pitcher. “Maybe he’ll just get tired
Some statistics can be fascinating, however, of waitin’ and leave.”
and one of my favorite columns features all the
ways in which baseball’s biggest stars screwed up. A big part of baseball, often hidden from
Warren Spahn, one of the best left-handed pitch- the fans, is the nagging injuries that plague
ers of all time, gave up 434 home runs. Babe Ruth many players – especially catchers – during a
led the majors in strikeouts in four different years six-month season. Said Johnny Bench, one of
and whiffed 1,306 times – a benchmark for decades the best backstops ever, “I’ve been shot up with
until Mantle flailed even more often. The record for so many painkillers to stay in the lineup that
grounding into double plays in a single World Series if I were a race horse I’d be illegal.” Rod Carew
is seven – held by Joe DiMaggio. “At times, as the recalled rooming with Tony Oliva, an outfielder
evidence shows, even the greatest among us aren’t who had suffered torn cartilage in his knee: “I’d
great, or even very good,” Berkow writes. “Somehow, be asleep and wake up and hear Tony cry like a baby
though, that’s heartening.” in the night because of the pain.”
Finally here are two bits of folk wisdom that ap-
All collections of previously published pieces con- ply to sportswriters (and book reviewers) as well
tain strengths and weaknesses. They can capture as ballplayers. One comes from the old Cardinals
moments in real time, unfiltered by false nostalgia or pitcher Dizzy Dean: “I ain’t what I used to be, but
faulty memory. But they can also feel dated and re- who the hell is.” And this one from hurler Catfish
petitive. Too many columns here focus on anodyne Hunter, a country boy from North Carolina: “The
speeches by Hall of Fame inductees and elegiac trib- sun don’t shine on the same dog all the time.”
utes to recently departed old-timers. True enough, but the sun shines on, and through,
enough of these columns to make this collection
But at his best, Berkow can turn a phrase like well worth reading. 
an all-star second baseman turning a double play.
Here he describes Ozzie Smith, the ineffable short-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 31

INSIGHT BRIDGE

NORTH

SOMETIMES COUNT IS MOST IMPORTANT AKJ532

By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist K2

Warren Buffett said, “Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does.” 2

Predicting a bridge result doesn’t count. The number of tricks won does. 10 8 6 2

In this deal, for example, what is likely to happen after South opens four diamonds? WEST EAST
Q76
South has a textbook pre-empt, but it has the big drawback of carrying the auction past QJ653 984
three no-trump — not that North-South have any chance in that contract here. K7
AKQ A974
Now West has two choices: double and four hearts. Which do you prefer?
54
Obviously, double hides the five-card major, but keeps more options open, including
four diamonds doubled. Four hearts shows the major, but the suit lacks a certain J543
robustness for introduction at the four-level.
SOUTH
I much prefer double. Then partner should bid with a long suit or, as here, pass with a
balanced hand. Now analyze both four diamonds and four hearts. 10

Against four diamonds, West will lead a club. There is a strong case for choosing the 10 8
queen, which asks partner to give a count signal. Here, East will show an even number,
surely four. So, West, after taking two club tricks, should shift to the heart queen. Then A Q J 10 9 8 6 3
the defenders take two clubs, two hearts and one diamond for down two, plus 500.
97
The best defense against four hearts is costly for East-West. Assuming West is the
declarer, North might lead the spade ace, but does better to choose his singleton Dealer: South; Vulnerable: Both
diamond. South wins with his ace and shifts to his singleton. North takes three spade
tricks, on which South discards both of his clubs. Then it goes club ruff, diamond ruff, The Bidding:
club ruff for down four!
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING

4 Diamonds ?? LEAD:
Q Clubs





34 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JULY 14) ON PAGE 54

The Telegraph ACROSS DOWN
1 Muscular, strapping (5) 2 Of a town (5)
4 Hospital carer (5) 3 In the neighbourhood(7)
10 Booth, cell (7) 5 Loosen bonds (5)
11 Armistice (5) 6 Compress (7)
12 Jury (5) 7 Room, compass (5)
13 Ineffective (7) 8 Taxonomic group (5)
15 Whip (4) 9 Repast (5)
17 Phonograph records(5) 14 Closed (4)
19 Below (5) 16 Donation to poor (4)
22 Pal (4) 18 Deeply felt (7)
25 Observer (7) 20 Major US city (3,4)
27 Timepiece (5) 21 Rapid; bird (5)
29 Higher in quality (5) 23 Pale-faced (5)
30 Coax tie (anag.) (7) 24 Swindle (5)
31 Catcalls (5) 26 Mistake (5)
32 Talent; art (5) 28 Test; legal hearing (5)

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 35

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 108 Duvall film, The ___ 62 Unconscious statesThe Washington Post
1 Grinders of a sort 110 Present to Henri? 63 Hangout
7 The simple life? 64 (None of the above)
14 Envelope fastener 111 Titusville find 66 Sch. test
19 Cop’s concern 112 Methane doesn’t have one 68 Sacred song
20 Composer-pianist 114 Blond hair, 71 Thin, watery mixture
23 With 115 Across, theme of for example 74 Gold ___
115 See 23 Across 75 Wheel options
this puzzle 122 Actor 77 Take to court
25 Team scream 123 Go back (on) 80 Krazy ___
26 Detail 124 Ferber et al. 82 Shakespeare or Shaw
27 Eschew excuses 125 Muscle connectors
28 Coronado quest 126 Was crazy about character
29 1969 Nobelist in literature 85 Four-run, for one
32 ___ shoestring DOWN 87 Publisher Condé-___
33 Form of deception 1 Vernon and others: abbr. 88 See 102 Across
35 Bus. alternative 2 Eureka’s cousin 89 Jeweler Lalique
36 Avalanche site 3 Moon craft 91 Civil War battle site
37 Madagascar primate 4 Smart guy 92 Start of an ode title, often
39 Particle 5 A Friends friend 93 Martin-Tomlin film
40 H.S. makeup test of a 6 Saccharine, e.g. 95 Turn on
7 Made in U.S.A. 97 Top
sort: abbr. 8 Fairy Queen described in 98 Don, in a way
41 Wrestling move 101 Stirred up
43 Norgay’s home Romeo and Juliet 103 Tiny fly
45 Greek goddess of 9 Longtime senator Hatch 104 Salad-bar grabbers
10 1980 Tony winner 105 Go biking
agriculture 11 Rattler attack 106 Florida’s Disney
48 Oscar’s street 12 Make Mickey move 107 Sister of Thalia
50 Cartoon bully 13 It can replace your mom 109 Note taker
52 Singer Morissette 14 Is too syrupy 113 Memorable line from Laugh-
56 Less seen 15 Brooklyn campus
58 Crete’s capital 16 Settle ___ In, “Marshall McLuhan,
61 Conceal anew what’re ya ___?”
62 Fail in the clutch (get even) 114 Sardine vessels
65 Road reading 17 Fearful 116 Mound stat
67 Actress 18 Dir. listings 117 Revolutionary Turner
69 Solemn promise 21 Start of a Casablanca song 118 He’s Larry, the Wolf Man
70 Frog-loving star 22 Gore’s girl 119 See 13 Down
72 Fix 24 Volunteering words 120 Eligibility factor
73 Pugilist 29 Low, as notes 121 Word in HMO names
76 Eth. neighbor 30 Model Macpherson
77 Comic pieces 31 Calculating individuals? HOGGING THE STAGE By Merl Reagle
78 Weakness cause 32 Like some accounts
79 Caught 34 Actor Herbert
81 As if it were scripted 38 Chews out
83 Series 39 A word for God
84 First name of the author that 40 Gourmet chef
42 Actor
Patricia Neal married 44 French director Besson
86 Loewe collaborator 46 Literary plantation
90 Old cigarette ad claim 47 A low-grade abbr.
94 Josh 49 Cat-tale teller Rita ___
96 Enthusiastic
Brown
thumbs-up 51 Ronald Reagan’s Illinois
97 Fluency course: abbr.
99 Said thrice, a carol birthplace
100 Fur-trade pioneer 53 Certain Japanese-American
102 Papal topic 54 “___ care!”
103 Roman tax form? 55 E-mails
104 Scopes ordeal, 1925 57 Madame Bovary
106 The middle of 59 Work units
60 ___ gold
next wk.

The Telegraph

36 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Caretaker struggles with lack of reciprocal support from pals

BY CAROLYN HAX from the hurtful psychotic behav-
Washington Post
ior, I place my ear against one of

my cats and listen to them purr.

Hey Carolyn: Our household has It’s very therapeutic. Yes, I know

had a slew of bad news – dead pets, I’m weird. – Stuck

prolonged health issues and job

loss. As the caretaker for almost ev- Stuck: I know this suggestion
might sting for someone who has
eryone around me, I feel like while I suffered pet loss, but I’m includ-
ing it because it is why many of
am struggling it’s not reciprocated. us have pets, even adopting anew
while still grieving.
I get it, I feel like Eeyore all the time, which is not fun
Plus there isn’t one iota, even
to talk to when I’m usually the bubbly one, but that’s one molecule of weird in your
purr strategy. And I am not say-
also a rough time to realize you don’t really have the ing this just because I am trying
to normalize the deep-fur-inha-
support you thought you would. I don’t know what lation therapy I do with my dogs.
Other readers’ thoughts:
to ask for, I just know I am down and having trouble  Please do the little bit of extra work of figuring
out what you can ask for (maybe with your therapist’s
getting back up. I’m working with a therapist, so do- help) and ask ask ask for it! If I was your friend, I’d love
to help.
ing my own work, but I can’t shake the extra sadness  Saw a tweet that said, “OK, I’m over self-care ev-
eryone else can take care of me now” and hooboy is
that comes from friendships that don’t feel reciprocal. that a mood I can relate to. Just wanted to share.
 I’ve found taking an aimless drive, singing (badly)
Help!?!? – Can I Get a Break? so many of us have come to resent. Remind your- along with the radio helps change the scenery even
self of simple things you’re good at or feel better for, faster than that walk, and let’s pretend it’s carbon neu-
Can I Get a Break?: Please, caretaker, seek social and see whether any of them are available to you in tral if I am not home burning lights and heat. Plus I
care. From outside your circle if needed – eventually a form that fits in, say, a 15- to 60-minute window. can do it in the endless rain of the Northwest. 
you might want to work on retraining your people to Call a hilarious friend, go somewhere with excellent
recognize you as someone who also needs attention service, meditate. If you have more time, great – sign
vs. always providing it, but that’s emotionally uphill up for something fun.
work. Right now you want to go with an assist from
gravity, because that’s probably all you have the en- I apologize for advising a task as a solution to ab-
ergy for. ject fatigue, but relief is at the ready, to fill as big (or
small) a break from your rut as you feel able to make.
So:What restorative thing can you give yourself, or
light companionship can you seek. (Can I summon Re: Break: I second this. I’m stuck working from
a Short Afternoon Walk again?) Don’t limit yourself home full time while caring for a psychotic adult
except to think outside that infernal household box child who is not responding well to medication
changes. When I’m physically exhausted or drained

Wonders of watercolor never cease
for Gallery 14 stalwart

38 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Wonders of watercolor never cease for Gallery 14 stalwart

BY DEBBIE TIMMERMANN | CORRESPONDENT Putting herself through
school, Hall went on to
Although many artists dream of earn a master’s degree
having a career in the arts from day and a Ph.D. in business,
one, the majority find they must put doing so willingly.
their talents aside for a time to make
a living in some other fashion. Mary “You have to really
Ann Hall is one of those people. want it to go that route,”
says Hall.
Although the arts were not part of
everyday family life, Hall recalls sitting After a divorce, Hall
on the back porch of her parents’ house again delayed her artwork
as a 10-year-old, drawing from a kit in order to earn a reliable,
that her mother had purchased for her. steady income to support
herself and her daughter.
“I never knew of artists; I was nev- She became a university
er exposed to the art world. Grow- professor at Ferris State
ing up in an industrial town, the arts University in Big Rapids,
weren’t available,” she explains. Michigan, and didn’t paint
for 25 years.
When Hall began taking watercolor
lessons in high school, she was in a “I told my kids to fig-
class with 18-year-olds who had al- ure out what you want
ready been taught mechanical draw- before you get married
ing, which hadn’t been available in her and have kids,” she says.
earlier schools.
Remarried, Hall and
“Mechanical drawing was for guys. her husband were offered
Girls were supposed to take home buyouts, which they both
[economics]. I was behind the curve took, and retired early. As
on that. So I started to take a lot of they were both pilots, they
watercolor lessons to try and catch
up, because that was the medium Mary Ann Hall explains how she uses
for interior design, which is what I different textures in her watercolors.
wanted to go into,” says Hall.
PHOTOS BY JOSHUA KODIS
“I got a scholarship to a college,
but my dad didn’t want to fill out
the paperwork, because he be-
lieved that girls will get married,
so why …”

Fortunately, Hall was able to talk
him into letting her attend a two-
year college and she went on from
there. As her father wanted her to
study computer science, some-
thing she could make a living out
of, she received a degree in com-
puter information science.

“My dad had four daughters and I
think he wanted to make sure they
didn’t come back, I guess. My edu-
cation was a long, long struggle.”

were introduced to Vero Beach when 2004, which finally allowed her to
they came to build a high-performance do what she loved – painting. After
airplane at Velocity in Sebastian. meeting other Vero artists, she was
asked to become one of the found-
“Raytheon Missile Corporation ing members of Gallery 14, now in its
bought one of our planes to test for 14th year. Of the original eight, five
radar,” she says. remain, with three new additions.

They moved here permanently in

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 39

ARTS & THEATRE

this technique. ‘Moonlight Serenade’ I’m always going to be learning, but
is more traditional, working with the I feel more comfortable [trying new
watercolor paper, to get the texture. things],” says Hall.

“More and more I am doing more Her curious and adventuresome
contemporary paintings,” says Hall. nature prompts her to continually try
Although the paintings tend to be something new, such as using bright,
simple in subject, she feels the tech- bold colors.
nique makes them unique.
“It is an amazing world. I am al-
Hall says she is quite happy with her ways looking and seeing; ideas are
new, contemporary work, though she all over. My paintings are full of pure
continues to paint traditional as well. color and show the wonder of nature.
I favor delicate watercolors for flow-
“I can see my evolution in style ers, acrylics for abstracts and pas-
since I’ve been here; I know how the tels for landscapes,” says Hall, who
tools, how the paint, how everything believes paintings should evoke an
works. emotion from the viewer. 

“I’ve learned and now I can explore.

The co-owners feel that eight is a they hope to build at Upper
good working number. Canaveral, selected three of
Hall’s paintings to be placed
“I jumped at it,” says Hall, who, with at public buildings through-
her business background, brought a out that county.
solid gift to the table. “I didn’t realize
at the time what an opportunity they “I was with some heavy hit-
were giving me. It’s such a wonderful, ters up there, so I was pretty
welcoming group here.” happy,” recalls Hall.

Now, Hall says, painting has be- In 2011, she was greatly
come all-consuming, in a good way. honored to be chosen as
an Easter Seal stamp art-
“I can tell you what happens if I don’t ist. The competition is stiff,
paint. I actually feel like I am bubbling as all 50 states participate.
up inside; it’s a release. I see a lot of Barbara Landry, another
things, and people make suggestions Gallery 14 co-owner, has
of what to paint. Ideas are all over. I’m been a two-time winner.
active and I see things, and I have lots
and lots of ideas. Sometimes I actually “It is very rare to have two
make lists.” winners in the same gal-
lery,” says Hall, explaining
Through art shows in Stuart, Brevard that thousands of entries
and Fort Pierce, Hall is constantly ex- are judged in Chicago, at the
panding her exposure to sell her work. Easter Seals’ head office.

Organizers of the Brevard Aquari- “I work mainly in watercol-
um Art Walk, to promote an aquarium or, which I love. It’s my favor-
ite; the transparency, the flu-
idness of it. It can just sparkle.”

For the past two years, Hall
has begun to introduce a lot of
texture to her work.
“I started with a piece of watercolor
paper and went into the background and
added pieces of gauze,” Hall explains.
After setting the paper for a while,
until deciding what to do with it, she
eventually determined that a bird
would work, with a moon, and a re-
flection, so that’s what she painted.
Another break from tradition is paint-
ing watercolors on rice paper. Hall de-
scribes it as a batik process where you
start with lighter colors and put wax on
it to save it. The next layer has another
value and more wax. Four to seven wax
layers keep bringing up the darkness.
“Then you take that waxed paper,
and you crinkle it all up to make all the
cracks in the wax, and then add more
watercolor. Then you iron it all up to
see what you come up with. You can’t
control it 100 percent,” she admits.
‘Sunny Days’ is a good example of

40 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Buckle up for symphony’s ‘Scandinavian Road Trip’

BY PAM HARBAUGH Institute Orchestra. The concert begins ganization encourages its participants
Correspondent 3 p.m. Sunday, July 24, at the Commu- to learn about environmental issues
nity Church of Vero Beach, 1901 23rd and to adjust their behaviors to help
1 The Space Coast Symphony Or- St. Tickets are $30 on the symphony’s Mother Earth. Meetings will begin
chestra will take you on a virtual website and $35 at the door. Those 18 Meetings will begin in September and
years and younger or with a college then take place on the third Thursday
“Scandinavian Road Trip” on Sunday ID are admitted free. The Space Coast of each month thereafter. The pro-
Symphony Orchestra performs under gram will include guest speakers, field
afternoon at the Community Church the baton of conductor and artistic di- trips, projects, workshops, documen-
rector Aaron Collins. For more infor- tary screenings and more. Meetings
of Vero Beach. The idea here, accord- mation, visit SpaceCoastSymphony. will generally be free, but organizers
org or call 855-252-7276. And by the could impose a small fee for field trips
ing to the press release, is to let you cool way, the Space Coast Symphony is also and other activities. To get involved,
looking for host families for visiting email [email protected] or call
down during encounters with “fjords, musicians. If you are interested in that, 772-589-5050. for her abstract acrylics paintings and
email [email protected]. her watercolor animal portraits. She
trolls and Vikings.” The concert be- studied painting and drawing at Hum-
boldt State University in California.
gins with Hans Christian Lumbye’s Zaplin uses unconventional tools for
his unique style. The award-winning
“Copenhagen Steam Railway Galop,” artist is responsible for the mural at
the Pareidolia Brewery. The galleries at
which “faithfully recreates the sounds housed throughout the campus at the
First Presbyterian Church, 520 Royal
of a chugging train.” There will also 3 The Galleries at First Pres pres- Palm Blvd., Vero Beach. Admission to
ents its “Summer Art Show.” It the reception is free and includes light
be a performance of the overture to 2 Environmental Learning Cen- refreshments. The art will be on dis-
ter invites you to come out to play noon to 3 p.m. Mondays through
“Maskarade,” a Danish opera by Carl opens with a reception 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and between church ser-
vices on Sunday mornings. Admission
Nielsen. Sibelius’ “Symphony No. 2” the Treasure Coast Waterway Clean- Sunday, July 24. The show features is free. For more information, call 772-
562-9088 or visit FirstPresVero.org. 
was composed to give hope to people up, taking place 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. this works of area artists Bruno Paz, Pa-

living with Russia oppression. Miami Saturday, July 23 along the Wabasso mela Schwartz and Huey Zaplin. Paz,

trombone teacher, composer and ar- Causeway Park. Bring gloves and a formerly known as Leonardo Severo,

ranger Thomas McKee will perform bucket. You can sign up by emailing was born in Cuba where he graduated

“Trombone Concerto” by Launy Gron- [email protected]. The Envi- from the Escuela Provincial de Arte.

dahl. McKee attended the University ronmental Learning Center is at 255 He’s been shown extensively in Cuba,

of Miami’s prestigious Frost School of Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach. And if you’re New York and Coral Gables. He works

Music where he was a teaching assis- interested in that, you might consider in oils, acrylics, tempera and sculpts

tant and a fellow at the Henry Mancini joining the Eco-Action Society. The or- with papier mâché. Schwartz is known

HOSPITAL ADDS EXPERT IN COMPLEX
HEAD/NECK CANCER SURGERY

42 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Hospital adds expert in complex head/neck cancer surgery

BY KERRY FIRTH
Correspondent

Any cancer diagnosis is a heavy Dr. Ashley Mays. at Cleveland Clinic Indian River to the department is my ability to
blow, but head and neck cancer Hospital changes that. Now, these perform microvascular f lap sur-
presents problems and complica- PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS patients can stay close to home gery for facial reconstruction,”
tions that are especially fearsome. while undergoing the complex sur- Dr. Mays said “Microvascular f lap
Not only are there concerns about neck cancer patients in Vero had to gery and reconstruction process. surgery is treating patients with a
the removal of the cancer, but there travel to a major academic center in transplant. It’s really not so differ-
is a whole other issue about the Miami, Tampa or Gainesville to get “The critical piece that I bring
impact treatment will have on the high-quality reconstructive sur-
patient’s appearance and ability to gery, but the recent addition of Dr.
swallow, speak and even breathe Ashley Mays to the oncology team
properly.

Since most cancerous tumors
of the head and neck cannot be
treated without surgical excision,
patients are often left with dev-
astating functional and cosmetic
defects. That is because many oto-
laryngologists (surgeons specializ-
ing in head and neck surgery) can
remove cancerous tumors, but only
a specialized few have the training
and ability to successfully recon-
struct the affected area.

And now Vero Beach has one of
those specialized few.

Up until this summer, head and

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 43

HEALTH

ent than a heart or lung transplant, and survives. Up to 2 percent of tions where that is not feasible, the Dr. Mays received her medical
as we remove tissue from one part the time there will be some kind doctor may take a skin graft from a education at the Brody School of
of the body and place it in another of event with vascular issues dur- different part of the body to patch Medicine at East Carolina Univer-
part of the body. The difference is ing their hospital stay, but since the harvest area. sity in Greenville, North Carolina,
that it comes from the same person they are already hospitalized the and completed her otolaryngology
– the patient himself. physician can quickly address the “The head and neck are extraor- residency at Wake Forest University,
problem. Only 1 percent of patients dinarily complicated organs and in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“I transplant tissue from the will have failure of their recon- we have to do complex organ-spe- She completed a two-year fellowship
lower leg, thigh or arm and use struction. When that occurs, there cific reconstruction” Dr. Mays said. in Head and Neck Surgical Oncol-
that tissue along with their defined are methods to do another free flap “What differentiates our hospital ogy and Total Body Microvascular
vasculature to reconstruct what- procedure or some other kind of re- from others is that we now have the Reconstruction at University of Tex-
ever defect there is in the head and construction. ability and expertise to perform as MD Anderson Cancer Center in
neck. complex reconstructive surgery Houston. Her office is located in the
Another piece of the puzzle is in addition to high level ablative Scully Welsh Cancer Center, 3555
“For example, if someone is closing the harvest site of the tis- surgery making it a one-stop shop. 10th Court, Vero Beach. Call 772-
missing a portion of their jaw and sue. Depending on the area it’s tak- There is basically no surgery that 770-6830 to schedule an appoint-
tongue because of the resection en from, the surgeon is usually able we can’t do here at Cleveland Clin- ment. 
necessary to remove the tumor, I to sew it back together. In situa- ic Indian River Hospital.”
can take a piece of bone and skin
from their lower leg and use that to
reconstruct the jaw.

“We now have the technology
that enables me to virtually pre-
plan the bony reconstruction sur-
gery with my cuts so that when I go
to the leg and harvest that donor
bone, I can make very precise cuts
in the leg. Because of this, when it
comes up to the head and I’m put-
ting in plates and screws, it is a very
close replica to how their natural
jaw was.”

Dr. Mays explained that the map-
ping process is done through an in-
dustry website that creates a model
she uses to match cuts at the donor
site.

“If I am going to take out 4 cen-
timeters of jaw on the left side,
then I can preplan the angles and
cuts of that layered projection and
mark those out on the tibia site.
It’s all part of creating a near na-
tive anatomy and trying to create a
functional piece of tissue. Preplan-
ning the cuts and angles helps put
things back together more smooth-
ly. Not only do we have an obliga-
tion to create a very functional out-
come, but we try to create as much
aesthetic and pre-morbid recon-
struction as possible.”

The degree of functionality after
reconstruction depends upon the
extent and location of the surgery.
If, for example, someone is missing
a larynx after throat reconstruc-
tion, they will not be able to re-
gain speech but they will be able to
swallow. If a tongue needs to be re-
constructed, the patient’s ability to
taste will be directly proportionate
to the amount of tissue taken from
the tongue. Patients undergo very
in-depth speech and swallowing
therapy evaluation and therapists
assist them in achieving the best
possible results.

In most cases the reconstruction
surgery is done at the same time as
the tumor is removed.

Free flap surgery patients will
stay at least a week in the hospital
to make sure the transplant heals

44 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Lost your physical confidence after a fall? Don’t despair

BY ELIZABETH HEATH felt better after 10 days or so, the injury ing on a loose gravel path or just going feel as if it’s a little too early to give up
The Washington Post to my self-confidence has lingered. down the stairs in my home – and ques- on outdoor activities I enjoy, especially
tioning whether I need to scale back my those we do as a family.
My timing was cinematic. I had no Since I took that tumble, I find myself soft adventure activities. Yet, at 55 and
sooner admonished my family for re- constantly thinking about falling again in reasonable, if not excellent, shape, I This got me wondering about that
peatedly cautioning me to watch my – while hiking on uneven terrain, walk- blurry space between overreactive
step on the thawing, muddy mountain worry and justified concerns about
trail (“I’m not decrepit, people!”) than falling or injuring oneself anew. How
I slipped spectacularly on a patch of do we know when it’s time to hit the
frozen terrain. My feet flew out from trail again, or when it’s time to hang
under me, and I landed hard – with my up the hiking shoes and find a new,
tailbone, cervical spine and the back less perilous activity? “People fall all
of my head taking the brunt of the im- the time,” says Helen Lach, a profes-
pact. I lay there, momentarily stunned, sor at Saint Louis University’s nursing
thinking, “I’m really going to feel this school whose research specialty is falls
tomorrow.” and fears of falling. “Hiking is a high-
risk thing. A rough patch of ground, or
After I could move again, we gingerly terrain that’s rocky or slippery – you’re
made our way two more miles down challenging yourself to some degree
the trail to the car, me with my morale and people fall doing those things.”
crushed and my clothes covered in
mud. When we passed a group who had But when taking a hard fall is a new
witnessed my fall, they asked how I was experience, as it was for me, Lach says it
doing. “Ask me tomorrow,” I grumbled. can feel “more dramatic.” There’s even
My husband added: “Her pride’s a little a name for what I’m feeling: low falls
hurt, too.” self-efficacy, which Lach describes as
“the loss of confidence that you can do
It’s true that my ego (“I’m a failure at everyday activities without falling.”
being outdoorsy!” I wailed in a text to
a friend the next day) and my tailbone In older populations especially, in-
both took a hit. But although the latter dividuals may get to the point where
they’re not comfortable leaving the

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 45

HEALTH

house or doing activities they normally mance psychology, says she looks for feels confident while playing golf and type,” Shipherd says, “one of the most
enjoy – and, as a result, they may not the root of the problem. If physical lim- hiking – both activities that might have challenging things is not being able
get enough exercise, or they may even itations can be ruled out, she says, then seemed unattainable during the three to do the same things you used to do.”
become isolated and depressed. a counselor can set out to help rebuild months she was non-weight-bearing. Some may wind up accepting that they
client confidence. can’t run as fast or as far but that they
Although my falls self-efficacy isn’t It’s also about reframing, not ignor- still get enjoyment from running. Oth-
so low that I’ve become a recluse, it is The techniques Shipherd uses to ing, your fear, Shipherd says. “The fear ers may acknowledge that they just
typical, even if I’m in a slightly younger help star athletes reclaim their A game of injury is still there. It’s not realistic can’t run at all anymore, or that the
demographic. “Decreased confidence are essentially the same as those that to deny it. But we frame it differently. risk isn’t worth the reward. And “when
and fear of reinjury are two common might apply to a middle-aged woman ‘This trail is rough; I’m nervous about you just don’t love what you’re doing
side effects of any injury,” says Am- who fell on her derriere: positive self- it,’ becomes, ‘This trail is going to help anymore, it’s time to find a new sport,”
ber Shipherd, a certified mental per- talk and baby steps. “We fall back on me get better.’” Shipherd says.
formance consultant based at Texas mental skills and goal-setting.”
A&M University who works with pro- The confidence-building process For Martino, the epiphany came
fessional athletes, coaches, musicians In the case of hiking, she says, “let’s happens off the trail or playing field, during a treatment session. At a certain
and members of the military – “any- get you back on short, flat trails. Once too, Shipherd says. You don’t have to point, he recalls, “what I had to do to
one who performs as part of their daily you get to the point where you’re feel- get right back into the activity. “A break get on the field wasn’t worth what it felt
job.” ing good, we up the difficulty.” As is a great opportunity to make sure like to be out there. My doctor looked
someone experiences success on trails you’re fulfilling yourself in other ways at me during a treatment one day, and
Kyle Martino, a former Major League of escalating difficulty, hopefully their and get other things, like family, school he could see what playing was doing
Soccer player and the founder of the self-confidence will return. or work, aligned in your life.” to my body. ‘Think about the next 40
Over Under Initiative, says that, for years instead of the next four,’ he said. I
athletes, fear of reinjury happens “ev- Lach, who had to bounce back after Martino, whose soccer career was decided to walk away that day.”
ery time” after an injury on the field, a broken ankle resulting from a back- cut short because of injuries, says this
although Shipherd says the same con- yard fall, agrees with slowly build- slow rebuilding of confidence and My situation lacks the drama of a
cepts apply to casually active people ing back to prior performance levels form is a shift from the performance professional athlete having to walk
like myself. and being realistic about one’s fitness coaching of old, when people would away from the game because of in-
level. “An older person who’s really “battle through pain” to return to top juries. But Lach suggests some of the
“The hardest part of overcoming out of shape might need to start with condition as soon as possible. “My same realism, and risk-vs.-reward
injury is trusting your body again,” physical therapy,” she says, including way of overcoming injury was not the analysis is advised, especially at my
Martino says. “It’s almost like you have working on mobility and balance. But healthiest,” he says, recalling that his age. “It’s all about right-sizing your ac-
a physical you and a mental clone of mostly, she adds, “it’s about improving career was shortened and his quality tivity for your own self, being realistic,
you.” They both get hurt, he says, ex- physical strength. If you feel stronger, of life affected because of rushed re- but still doing the things you enjoy do-
cept that the body often heals faster you feel more confident.” coveries. “If I could go back, I would ing as much as you can,” she says.
than the mind does. listen to my body more and taken time
At 67, she sees a personal trainer to heal properly.” And maybe waiting until the ice has
Shipherd, who has a background in once a week. And although her down- thawed on those mountain trails. 
counseling, kinesiology and perfor- hill skiing days may be behind her, she “For an athlete or exerciser of any

46 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

THE REAL REASON WE’RE ALL
OBSESSED WITH THE ‘70S AGAIN

BY LAURA CRAIK parents’ heyday was the 1970s, so
The Telegraph a lot of my appreciation of it was
through seeing photos of them.
Bell-bottoms, Abba and They definitely influenced my
“Saturday Night Fever.” So film and music tastes. I loved
why is everyone – from chefs to that era of Kris Kristofferson,
fashion designers to Millenni- and Warren Beatty in ‘Sham-
als – embracing the ’70s again? poo’ – all that hedonistic
glamour.”
Everyone has photographs Day frequently styles
from their childhood that his clients in rever-
they’d rather forget. When ence to the 1970s –
you’re a child of the 1970s, the most recently Sam
shame takes on an added di- Ryder, Britain’s
mension. There were no cute Eurovision entry
frocks or winsome sweat- whose Ziggy Star-
ers for the 1970s child: just dust-esque cat-
corduroy bell-bottoms, suit was one of the
Crimplene shirts, poly- strongest, campest looks
ester dresses and crochet of the night. Talking of cat-
waistcoats, in various suits, let’s not forget Abba,
hues of orange, purple, a band that defined the
mustard or brown. 1970s and whose Abba-
tars are currently wow-
The reason ev- ing fans old and new
ery ’70s child looks courtesy of their Voyage

slightly pained in these photos is be- tour. Six years in the making, the
cause they were mortified about their 90-minute set sees Agnetha, Anni-
hair. The Alexa, the Rachel and the Frid, Björn and Benny perform on
Lady Di having yet to be invented, it was 65-million-pixel screens that use the
inevitably cut in the shape of a bowl, a latest motion-capture technology to
style with an unfailing ability to make render them as avatars.
everyone look equally hideous.
While the idea is to take concert-go-
For those who lived through the ers back in time to 1979, the costumes
1970s, the prospect of the era being back aren’t faithful to the originals but
in fashion is an amusing one. When instead interpret their ‘aura’, accord-
you’ve worn it all the first time around, ing to costume designer Bea Åker-
the second time around feels like cos- lund. There are 20 costume changes,
tume. But then, 1970s fashion is cos- including designs by Dolce & Gab-
tume, and that’s precisely its appeal. bana and Manish Arora, throughout
the show. “They were tidied versions
It’s why Gucci’s Alessandro Michele of the original – much sleeker, bet-
is so fixated on the decade, knowing ter quality and definitely less nylon,”
that its exaggerated proportions, gar- according to my friend Debbie, who
ish prints and luxuriant, richly col- recently saw the show, and is such an
ored fabrics are perfectly placed to Abba fan that she celebrated her 50th
make a splash not only on the red car- birthday dressed as Anni-Frid, in a
pet, but on social media, a platform shiny gold catsuit.
that rewards a strong visual message.
Held on a boat on the Thames, her
Elton John playing piano in his nov- 1970s-themed party was attended by
elty sunglasses, Pam Grier slaying in Cher, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Zig-
oversized gold hoops and a cropped gy Stardust, Stevie Nicks and three El-
disco shirt and Marc Bolan performing vises, one on rollerskates.
in platform boots and sequined cat-
suits are but a handful of iconic 1970s Not that it’s solely midlifers who
looks that were Instagram-friendly are keen to dress up in bell-bottoms,
long before Instagram was invented. gold lamé and leopard print: 1970s-
themed parties are currently popu-
The stylist Luke Jefferson Day has lar with their children, too. For Gen
been dressing in homage to the 1970s Z, the appeal isn’t so much driven by
ever since finding a flared three-piece nostalgia as vicariousness: It’s a way
pinstriped suit in a charity shop as of tapping into the sort of hedonism
a schoolboy. “I thought I looked like that was denied to them for 18 months
John Travolta, who I was obsessed with during the pandemic. “I’m obsessed
thanks to ‘Saturday Night Fever.’ My

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 47

with Studio 54,” says fashion student says, should start with geometric-print food seemed to ooze an experimental
Arthur, 19, who binge-watched the cushions, rich paint colors and wood- party feel. I remember cheese-and-
BBC ’70s crime drama “The Serpent” ed furniture in warm tones. “And you pineapple hedgehogs at my birthday
and “Halston,” the Netflix series can’t beat a bit of brown velvet.” parties, and my parents serving half-
about the rise and fall of the storied avocado boats filled with vinaigrette.
New York designer. Williams is too young to put her I’ve always been game for a fondue
love of the 1970s down to nostalgia, and a punch bowl.” 
“Clubbing is a rite of passage for crediting it instead to her affinity with
people my age, but because it was films from the period. “The textures
denied us, we idealize it maybe more and the colors have always felt right
than millennials do. Studio 54 was the to me. The creativity in 1970s interiors
ultimate nightclub. It’s not just about makes it look like everyone was hav-
Bianca Jagger on her white horse. The ing fun with it, and I love taking that
music was brilliant, too. I have my fun and making it modern.”
mom to thank for getting me into dis-
co. I prefer it to more modern stuff.” We could theorize all we like, but
perhaps it’s simple: in fetishising the
Certainly when it comes to music, 1970s, we’re fetishising fun, and the
the 1970s’ reputation as the decade idea of a more carefree time – even if
taste forgot is unwarranted. You don’t it wasn’t really like that. The econom-
have to have lived through it to appre- ic upheaval of the decade was consid-
ciate the genius of Elton John, Fleet- erable, and try being a person of color
wood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross in 1970s, or a member of the LGBTQ
or the Bee Gees. You do, arguably, community. But in terms of fashion,
have to have lived through it to detest music, interiors and food, it was still
its furniture and homeware. Flock a decade of self-expression, where
wallpaper, shag carpets and avocado people had freedom to experiment
bathroom suites are never going to be and indulge in their taste without fear
coveted by those who grew up with of the sort of judgment we’re so sur-
them, many of whom furnished their rounded by now, be it on social media
own homes in minimalist mono- or from myriad lifestyle gurus.
chrome tones in reaction.
Not that A-list lifestyle gurus are
Younger generations, however, exempt from the allure of the 1970s
see these 1970s tropes through rose- either. Describing her pubic hair on
tinted glasses. “My mom’s generation a chat show, Gwyneth Paltrow once
grew up with 1970s decor, so they see famously said, “I work a 1970s vibe,”
it as dated and gross, whereas my while the makeup artist Charlotte Til-
generation fantasizes over the colors, bury is wedded to the 1970s, certainly
prints and lifestyle,” says TV present- in respect of her mane of red, Farrah
er and interiors guru Jade Williams. Fawcett-style hair.

Entering her Margate home is like Chefs, too, are enamored of the pe-
stepping into a time capsule: As well riod. “I grew up with a couple of retro
as a vintage palm-print sofa, wicker cookbooks on the kitchen shelves that
chairs and a terrazzo floor, she has an as a child I found unappealing but
original stone fireplace which even she later grew to love,” says food writer
cheerfully describes as “a monstros- Jasmine Hemsley, whose Kent home
ity.” Those wanting to get the look, she is an ode to 1970s suburbia. “The

48 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

How to do evening glamour during a heatwave

BY LISA ARMSTRONG capturing the essence of sundowner they’ll usher your cotton sundress or say “vacation glamour.” A pair
The Telegraph glamour. But while a sheer wisp of linen flares into evening mode – and of metallic sandals goes with
cheesecloth might be just the thing for they’re very portable too, so if you want everything, elevates even one
Ditch the cut-offs, get the glow and cocktails by the pool in Corfu, some- to switch things up at night after work of those milk-maidy frocks that
find your waft to look your best in thing a tad less see-through but still they could be all you need. looks as though it was made
the setting sun. with that sensation of luxurious sim- from a giant dishcloth and gen-
plicity will do the trick back home. Gold or silver sculptural designs work erally puts you in a party mood.
Getting through a heat- well if you’re wearing a lot of punchy We’re not talking full-on shiny.
wave is all a matter of put- Look for something smart, minimal- color. Bright, mono colored beading
ting a bit of topspin on our ist and effortless looking. Delectably looks particularly striking and sophis- Color me fabulous
perceptions. For instance, the chic-simple silhouettes in high quality ticated with an all white outfit. Before Have you noticed how the fuch-
best part of most vacations linens and silks will feel ultra swishy and you buy – online or in person – ascer- sias and tangerines that look brim-
is that glorious whoosh of cooling but won’t reveal more than you tain how heavy they are. Weighty chan-
endorphins when the sun plan. Viscose is also a great standby – not deliers are painful in the short term and ful of joie de vivre on people’s
finally starts to clear off, it’s sweaty and fairly crease-proof. in the long term can have a dramatic Instagram feeds from Patmos
golden hour and you’re sipping on a impact on your lobes, dragging them look a bit bilious in Putney?
sundowner in your favorite vacation Bigger, better earrings permanently southwards. That’s because 98 percent of the
glamour outfit. Adjust your mindset Go bold or go home is not a bad strat- time, the intensity of light is
and it’s really not that hard to rustle egy for holiday earrings. The same is Metallica moment different.
up a few of those endorphins even true for at-home 90 degree glamour Would a spec of metallic on your toes
when you’re on the commute. channeling. A dangly pair of sparklers and the tips of your lobes kill you? Even if Not right now it isn’t. So
either side of your cheekbones won’t just you’re the least blingy human in the uni- jump right into any shade you
It’s all about how you sell it. act as your very own lighting director, verse, it would not. But it will instantly fancy. Tone them, clash them or
Tempting though it may be to while away many happy hours mix-
schlump around in the cut-off ing olives with pinks, orange with co-
shorts and Oasis T-shirt of indetermi- balt and generally pretending you’re
nate color that you’ve been schlump- Yves Saint Laurent. So long as the sun’s
ing around in every heatwave since this bright, you can’t really go wrong. If
1997, go on, make an effort. It might you’re not sure, stick to cottons and lin-
be sweltering but stripping off isn’t the ens which hold color well and generally
only option. It’s not even necessarily look less flashy than shiny fabrics. This
the coolest one. Crisp linens and gor- summer, color may be the one thing that
geous broderie anglaise can create does travel well.
little breeze tunnels around the body
that feel much fresher than sweaty old Smooth, shiny hair
(near) nakedness. Raise your game Frizz loves humidity. Unfortunately,
and channel some of that holiday we don’t love frizz. Hairdresser Adam
glamour in the here and now. Reed recommends embracing our natu-
ral hair texture as much as we can: “The
I propose we limit the kvetching more you style it, the more likely it is to
about how hot it is to five cathartic succumb to the heat.” He suggests us-
minutes first thing in the morning. ing a product even if you’re not using a
Then we get on with making the abso- hair dryer. “Air drying can be quite de-
lute best of the situation. You’ll miss it hydrating, so hydration is key,” he says.
when it’s over. And if despite everything your wispies
are out of control, Reed suggests spritz-
Find your waft ing some hairspray on your hands and
A sense of waftiness is essential for gently combing with your finger. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 49

THE SIX RULES OF SEX APPEAL FOR GROWN-UPS

BY LISA ARMSTRONG does it? For glamour, gleam and sleek- less severe in velvet. more than yellow is. Midnight blue
The Telegraph ness, an embellished jacket is worth its or indigo, especially in a fabric with a
weight in sequins, transforming every- Midnight blue or black? Split the sheen – satin crepe, taffeta or a glazed
Dressing seductively doesn’t have an thing from cargo pants and cheesecloth difference wool, delivers a softer clarity of pur-
age limit – and Giorgio Armani knows into what the professionals would call pose. It also works with black, so if
all the tricks. an interesting juxtaposition of con- If you’re looking for drama and you’re wedded to the latter, mix them
trasts. Put another way, fling on the tension in your evening look, black up, keeping the indigo shades closer
There’s a reason why A-listers from right jacket and you have more than a seems an obvious choice. But the fact to your face. 
Cate Blanchett to Julia Roberts still cover up, more even than a clever way is, it’s not everyone’s best color, any-
love to wear Armani, 30 years after he to reveal slivers rather than slabs of skin.
grabbed the red carpet at the Oscars You have a party look.
and gave it a good shake out.
Shimmer trumps sheer
He makes them look classy. His Ar- If you’re someone who frankly does
mani Privé show in Paris on earlier give a damn, leave the underwear as
this month may not have been a bo- outerwear, the black bras under trans-
nanza of affordable, cost of living cri- parent blouses and the VPL flashing
sis relevant clothes. But then again, unlined chiffon skirts to those who
it was part of couture week, where don’t. Instead, move on to the glories
the entry price for a daytime frock is of metallic beads, lame and all things
north of $35,000 and if we’ve learned twinkly, which will bathe you in a gor-
anything from recent economic big geous Marilyn-sequence haze. Let
dippers it’s that the super rich don’t there be light – so much more digni-
suffer from travel sickness. fied than a view of one’s underwear.
The only exception to the sheer rule is
Armani’s Privé collection is prob- sleeves – then it’s terrific, especially if
ably not the place to come for cutting you don’t want to bare yours, but aren’t
edge statements either. But it was full ready for total coverage.
of pointers for anyone who still be-
lieves the art of seduction works best Embrace the party trouser
when it’s a stealth activity rather than High-waisted flowy trousers with
one performed with a metaphorical sheen, worn with an embellished tu-
foghorn and klaxon to hand. nic top are a sophisticated, sensual
option for those who don’t want to
Clavicles beat cleavage pour themselves into a constricting
When it comes to revealing some dress. Remember, there is no glamour
skin up top, strapless over cleavage is without a sense of the wearer being at
probably/definitely the graceful way ease in their skin.
to go as we get older. Gravity does its
thing on various parts of the body, Velvet springs eternal
but not the shoulders. They are eter- Perhaps its softness is what gives
nal. Treasure them. Nourish them. velvet its unique dressy-but-not-up-
Show them. tight vibe. The most forgiving silhou-
ettes look more glamorous in velvet
An evening jacket is a million times and it’s one of the best choices for a
more useful than it sounds dark trouser suit – even black looks

Men have tuxedos. Women have …
pashminas? No, it doesn’t compute,

50 Vero Beach 32963 / July 21, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

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