VB32963_ISSUE46_112416_OPT

Things may move quickly on
Vero electric front. P2
Duve murder trial
again postponed. P3

A toast to good healthcare
at VNA/Hospice luncheon. P18

MY VERO VERO BEACH MARINE LABORATORY’S Shores cell tower
BIG EXPANSION PLANS NOW UP IN AIR may actually be
BY RAY MCNULTY ready this spring
BY KATHLEEN SLOAN Florida Tech announced in ny James Catanese, then-pres-
Three football coaches Staff Writer 2013 a plan to expand the fa- ident of FIT, said. A fund-rais- BY LISA ZAHNER
share season of success cility, building a $10 million ing campaign was launched. Staff Writer
The Vero Beach Marine education center and updated
Let’s start by putting a Laboratory was going great lab on the four-acre site adja- But at the same time, Lin Island residents could en-
myth to rest: They don’t do it guns, attracting grants to re- cent to Tracking Station Park was battling cancer. He died in joy better cellphone service
for the money. search seahorses and other in Indian River Shores. March after a seven-year fight in Indian River Shores before
ornamental fish – a billion- against the disease. seasonal visitors leave town
The bottom line is, the dollar industry in Florida – led “We plan to build a signifi- and head north this spring,
head coaches of the county’s by Florida Institute of Tech- cant new building that will Since then the site has gone officials said.
three highly successful high nology Professor and Lab Di- include a public facility where quiet.
school football teams don’t rector Dr. Junda Lin. members of the community With all required govern-
get paid enough to adequate- can observe our marine and “Currently, the university is ment and neighborhood ap-
ly compensate them for the It was going so well that aquaculture labs,” Dr. Antho- reassessing how best to uti- provals being wrapped up this
time they invest, effort they lize the facility. In the interim, week, and negotiations well
put forth and personal sacri- underway with the first ma-
fices they make to do the job. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 jor service provider, the final
site plan for the new tower is
Unlike big-time col- Jason Edwards, star of expected to go to the Shores
lege football coaches, Vero ‘Ring of Fire,’ dies two Planning Zoning and Variance
Beach’s Lenny Jankowski, Se- days after show’s close Board in early December.
bastian River’s Kevin Pettis
and St. Edward’s Bill Motta After that, the Town Coun-
don’t get generous checks cil would need to approve any
from rabid boosters to sup- required variances, either at a
plement the stipends they’re special call meeting or at their
paid for coaching. regular meeting on Dec. 15.

Each receives less than The tower, which will be lo-
$6,000 for coaching, which cated within the Shores Pub-
doesn’t amount to much
when you consider that CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
coaching high school football
has become a year-round job

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

FEMA inspections delay repair of
Conn Beach oceanfront boardwalk

BY ALAN SNEL a gaping chasm still ex- BY MICHELLE GENZ
Staff Writer ists between the popular Staff Writer
walkway and the collapsed
More than six weeks after edge of the pavement on When Peg Girard found
Hurricane Matthew pound- Ocean Drive. herself moved to tears dur-
ed the Conn Beach board- ing Riverside Theatre’s “Ring
walk on Vero’s oceanfront, Immediately after the of Fire: The Music of Johnny

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

November 24, 2016 Volume 9, Issue 47 Newsstand Price $1.00 Chefs whip up
March of Dimes
News 1-8 Faith 61 Pets 63 TO ADVERTISE CALL winner. P28
Arts 43-46 Games 39-41 Real Estate 65-72 772-559-4187
Books 38 Health 47-50 St Ed’s 62
Dining 54 Insight 31-35 Style 51-53 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 34 People 9-30 Wine 55 CALL 772-226-7925

© 2016 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Things may move quickly on the Vero electric front

BY LISA ZAHNER portant Florida Public Service Com- Sykes and Tony Young were sworn in the best legal counsel to represent the
Staff Writer mission ruling in abeyance if it looks and Moss and Sykes were expected city going forward.
like the city is ready to reconsider to join Councilman Harry Howle in
Stay tuned, Shores Mayor Brian Florida Power & Light’s $30 million forming a pro-electric-sale majority on Activists who oppose a partial or
Barefoot told town residents and elec- offer to purchase the Shores custom- the five-member Vero Beach Council full sale asked to speak Tuesday to
tric customers, to see what the newly ers. Or better yet, if there is progress argue their position from the public
shuffled Vero Beach City Council does; on a full sale of Vero’s electric utility. Howle had placed two items on podium.
after that becomes clear, the town will Tuesday’s agenda, one asking the
adjust its legal strategy accordingly. “I have a feeling things are going to council to reach out to FPL about re- Should FPL resubmit its offer, Bare-
move very quickly over there,” Bare- viving the $30 million offer, and the foot said, “We would have to take an-
Barefoot said the town would be foot said. other to talk about whether or not other vote to participate [in the sale]
willing to place its appeal of an im- utilities attorney Robert Scheffel is at our December meeting.”
On Monday, Laura Moss, Lange
Barefoot said the Shores had agreed
to contribute $3 million of a $30-mil-
lion purchase price to facilitate get-
ting free from Vero’s electric util-
ity, which has rates about 30 percent
higher than FPL’s rates, adding that
the $3 million would be spread over
three year, and would be paid in the
form of a surcharge on electric bills.

“Even with that surcharge tacked on,
residents would be paying substantial-
ly lower rates,” newly sworn-in Shores
Councilman Bob Auwaerter said

Barefoot acknowledged that Shores
residents played an active role in the
outcome of the Nov. 8 Vero Beach
election, and he detailed why, di-
rectly addressing the leaders of the
Indian River Neighborhood Associa-
tion who railed against the slate of
pro-sale candidates.

“As I explained to my friends over
there in the Riomar neighborhood,
you left our residents with no choice,”
he said. “The city has never been will-
ing to provide relief to our residents.”

Auwaerter said he would continue
to represent the town on the Vero
Beach utility commission and would
continue to press the electric issue.

Barefoot pointed out that besides
receiving $30 million cash if the
council votes to sell the Shores cus-
tomers, Vero Beach would be freed of
the need to fund $3 million to $4 mil-
lion in system improvements needed
to upgrade the aging infrastructure
in the Shores portion of Vero’s electric
service area.

Beginning this week, Auwaerter
said he thinks there will be greater
scrutiny of the hired “experts” who
have guided Vero’s policy on the elec-
tric sale and partial sale.

Barefoot scolded the Dick Wing-
er-Jay Kramer-led Vero Beach City
Council that has blocked a sale over
the past few years, saying it has not
worked in earnest to find an innova-
tive solution to the electric problem.
Now, perhaps the new Vero council
members will.

“I think it’s energizing. We’ll all
stay tuned,” Barefoot said.

The Shores Town Council meets
next on Dec. 15, unless a special
meeting is called. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 3

NEWS

Trial for murder of Vero nurse Duve still months away

BY LISA ZAHNER Drive branch of PNC wealth manage- Jones after 1 a.m. on June 20, 2014. hotel room, and arrested on the basis
ment. Duve was a registered nurse at After a weekend-long search for the of videotape evidence that showed
Staff Writer Sebastian River Medical Center. missing woman by Vero Beach police him outside a Wendy’s restaurant
detectives, her body was discovered across Babcock Street from where
Family and friends of Moorings resi- Duve was last seen leaving What- and Jones was located in a Fort Pierce Duve’s body was found. 
dent Diana Duve will have to wait a while A-Tavern in Royal Palm Pointe with
longer to see her accused killer Michael
David Jones stand trial for the June 2014 Exclusively John’s Island
death of the 26-year-old nurse.
Located on a generous .76± acre lot among majestic oaks, this beautifully
A docket call was set for this week, renovated 4BR/4.5BA residence overlooks private preserve and John’s
but the case was continued until Island Sound views. Classic architecture and custom millwork grace this
Feb. 23. The complex capital mur- elegant 6,522± GSF home. Features include a welcoming entry, living
der case, which will piece together room with fireplace, gourmet island kitchen, fine finishes, summer kitchen
physical, electronic and videotape with grill, pool and boat dock. The second level comprises of the master
evidence, along with eyewitness ac- suite, study and guest bedroom ensuite with gorgeous tree-top views.
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Jones, 34, who is serving a five-year
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ing charge, is accused of strangling
his girlfriend Duve in his Vero Beach
townhouse and then leaving her body
in the trunk of her Nissan Altima in a
Melbourne Publix parking lot.

Diamond Litty, public defender for
the 19th Circuit, said “The case will
not be ready to go to trial” when pre-
siding Judge Cynthia Cox next has at-
torneys at her bench in late February.

Assistant State Attorney Brian Work-
man said he is still waiting for a list of
witnesses the defense intends to call.

“The discovery process has been
moving along and many of the wit-
nesses have given depositions,” Work-
man said Friday. “This is a large case,
however, and there are still quite a
few witnesses the defense has yet to
depose. It’s still too soon to estimate a
trial date but progress is being made.”

Lead defense attorney on the case,
assistant Public Defender Stanley
Glenn, said Saturday, “It takes a long
time to properly prepare a death pen-
alty case for trial and the defense team
is working to make sure that Mr. Jones
receives the fair trial that he deserves.

“I cannot elaborate, at this time, re-
garding who will be added to the de-
fense witness list,” he said.

It is not known whether Jones, a law
school graduate, will take the stand
in his own defense. In a Broward
County domestic violence case tried
in March, Jones did testify and was
acquitted by the jury. He was subse-
quently found guilty by Judge Lisa
Porter of violating probation imposed
in the aggravated stalking case in
Fort Lauderdale in 2012.

After those South Florida cases were
concluded, Jones was transferred back
to the Indian River County jail where he
now awaits his trial for first-degree mur-
der. Before being indicted on murder
charges on Aug. 26, 2014, Jones worked
as a financial planner at the Ocean

4 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero and a fierce commitment to coaching night’s Region 2 Class 8A champi- ference title bout Saturday night in
is something to be thankful for. onship game against Dr. Phillips in Oviedo, where the Pirates took a two-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Orlando. touchdown lead into the fourth quar-
Not only are these coaches helping ter before losing 21-14 to St. Stephen’s
that includes spring drills and 7-on- shape the lives of their players, teach- Pettis, meanwhile, is 24-18 in four Episcopal. His undermanned teams
7 competitions during the offseason ing lessons that can’t be learned in a years at Sebastian River, where he are 40-30 and have won one confer-
and, from August to November, de- classroom, but their teams’ success- took the program to unprecedented ence championship in seven seasons.
mands a seven-day work week. es this season have created a buzz heights this season. The Sharks won
throughout the county, where high 10 games with seven shutouts – both “Bill is a great football coach who
“You’re not just expected to work school football has become a source school records – and posted their does remarkable things with the ros-
that much, but it’s required if you’re of community pride. first playoff victory before losing at ter challenges he faces, and Lenny is
going to keep up with the competi- home Friday in the Region 4, Class one of the best offensive minds I’ve
tion,” Jankowski said. “So you really Jankowski has compiled an amaz- 6A semifinals to top-ranked Dayto- been around,” Pettis said. “Honestly,
have to love the game.” ing 59-8 record in his six years here. na Beach Mainland. I’m honored just to be mentioned in
This season, he has guided Vero the same discussion with those guys.
That our relatively small county Beach to an 11-0 showing that in- And Motta, despite working with
has been blessed with three men who cludes two playoff victories and has an 18-player roster, led St. Edward’s “I feel like I walk among giants.”
possess such affection for football put the Fighting Indians in Friday to the Sunshine State Athletic Con- Indeed, it was a giant of a man
– the late Billy Livings, the Florida
Sports Hall of Fame coach for whom
the field at Vero Beach’s Citrus Bowl
is named – who showed up in 1980
and, across the next 26 years, gave
our community a reason to care
about high school football.
Livings, who died in October 2011,
compiled a 211-86 record at Vero
Beach, leading the Fighting Indians
to 20 playoff appearances, 15 district
titles, seven state semifinals and one
state championship.
“Billy did such a tremendous job of
building a sustainable program, im-
proving and expanding everything
from facilities, ticket sales, communi-
ty support and pride in the program,”
said former Fort Pierce Central coach
Josh Shaffer, who lives in Vero Beach.
“And Lenny has done a great job of
building on that.
“But it was Billy who set the bar.”
Livings’ widow, Rosie, said she
considers Vero Beach’s success un-
der Jankowski, as well as the county-
wide excitement about high school
football this season, as part of her
husband’s legacy.
“It wasn’t like this when we first got
here,” she said.
It was Livings’ coaching that made
the difference then. It’s the coaching
of Jankowski, Pettis and Motta that’s
making a difference now.
Even though Vero lost nine starters
to graduation in June, and there was
talk of 2016 being a rebuilding year for
the football program, fans are talking
now about the Fighting Indians win-
ning their second state championship
– something that wouldn’t be possible
without Jankowski, whose team ap-
pears to be peaking at the perfect time.
“Right now, it’s really a fun time to
be a Vero Beach Fighting Indian, and
they’re probably feeling the same
way at the other two high schools,”
Jankowski said. “A successful football
season does wonders for school pride
and morale. It gets the school year off
to a fun start.”
For those wondering: The three lo-
cal coaches said they get along well
and root for each other – except, of
course, when Vero Beach and Sebas-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 5

NEWS

tian River renew their annual intra- ta said they consider themselves to Beach’s athletic director, Pettis teach- a very powerful common interest.
county rivalry. be the local chapter of a high school es physical education at Sebastian So we should count our blessings:
coaches’ fraternity. River, and Motta is a personal trainer
“I always root for St. Edward’s,” Pet- and president of Victory Kids, a non- We have three terrific high school
tis said, “and I hope Vero Beach wins They have different personalities profit that runs sports camps for lo- football coaches who are doing some-
every game but one.” and different full-time jobs in addi- cal youths – but the three men share thing special in our community. And
tion to coaching – Jankowski is Vero they don’t do it for the money. 
In fact, Pettis, Jankowski and Mot-

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Star of Riverside show dies also included a note in his obituary The Broadway show closed after Edwards went to watch a production
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 that those who wanted to honor Ed- only a month, but in 2013, Maltby and and was intrigued. He joined the the-
wards could make a donation to the Edwards co-adapted the show, giv- ater program at Mars Hill College, then
Cash,” she immediately went home Riverside Theatre Endowment Fund. ing it another shot in Milwaukee. Ed- came to Florida to join Burt Reynolds’
and googled Jason Edwards. The wards starred again, and more songs Jupiter Theatre. There, he earned his
handsome, velvet-voiced actor who “I think this is the best theater I’ve were added. It turned out to be just equity card before moving on to New
portrayed an older Cash, Edwards had ever worked in,” Edwards told his sis- the thing for regional audiences. Ed- York. He would go on to tour with “The
also directed the show. ter Linda. wards went on to direct and star in Will Rogers Follies” with country music
the reworked “Ring of Fire” in theaters star Larry Gatlin, and “Man of La Man-
“He was spot-on,” said Girard, a life- Edwards, 62, had arrived from New across the country. cha” with John Raitt, Bonnie’s father.
long Johnny Cash fan and artistic di- York to a town preparing for Hurricane
rector of the Melbourne Civic Theatre. Matthew. After the run of “Ring of As Edwards liked to point out, he “Pump Boys and Dinettes” was a
“Man oh man, what a talent.” Fire,” he stayed an extra day in Vero to and Cash shared a rural Southern less-well known show that filled many
go fishing with stage manager Audrey heritage. He grew up in the small town years of Edwards’ life. It tells the sto-
Now Girard seemed close to tears Brown, one of several boating trips the of Mars Hill, North Carolina, north of ry through music of four gas station
again. Two days after the show’s last North Carolina native enjoyed during Asheville, part of a family that loved workers and two waitresses. When Ed-
performance Nov. 13, Edwards appar- his six-week stay here. The fish were music; his sister Linda studied voice wards saw it on Broadway in the early
ently died in his sleep at his temporary biting on that last trip and Edwards at Stetson University and went on to 1980s, he saw his window. Over the
Vero residence. He was discovered caught a good-sized redfish on a lure work in opera and musical theater. years, he acted and directed some 35
when friends arrived to take him to the given to him by Riverside’s executive His father ran a gas station; in the eve- productions of the show, including at
airport. The cause was a heart attack, director, Allen Cornell. nings, friends would gather with fid- Riverside and in Orlando.
said Riverside’s Oscar Sales. dles and guitars and play music.
Cornell knew Edwards for 20 years While the music in “Pump Boys” was
More than 11,000 people came to through two Riverside appearances: At 13, with help from his dad’s card- original to the show,“Ring of Fire” had to
see Edwards’ show, a Riverside record “Pump Boys and Dinettes,” another playing buddy, Edwards got a seat just be true to another musician – an iconic
for a season-opener. The 24 perfor- musical of country songs staged here eight rows back to watch Cash, June one. As Edwards told the Cincinnati En-
mances drew “many, many people in 1996; and “A Sanders Family Christ- Carter and Carl Perkins perform in the quirer in January 2015 in advance of a
who had not been here before,” said mas,” in 2000. Charlotte Coliseum. “The power and production there, he considered him-
Sales. The typical first show of the sea- the passion of his songs moved me,” self “a caretaker” of Cash’s music.
son draws 7,000 to 8,000, Sales said. Five years later, Edwards won a role he later told a newspaper. After high
in the Broadway-bound production of school, he went to Nashville to pursue “I’m not Johnny Cash. I’ll never be
The family, which donated one of “Ring of Fire” created and directed by a music career, then joined a country Johnny Cash,” Edwards said.
Edwards’ two six-string guitars to the Richard Maltby Jr. Edwards’ rich bass- band in Charlotte.
theater, wrote in Edwards’ obituary baritone is immortalized on the origi- The reporter noted the strain in Ed-
that he had described his last day as nal cast recording, produced by John His sister Linda, meanwhile, was ward’s voice. “We’re just lucky …” he
“one of the happiest in his life.” They Carter Cash, the son of Johnny Cash doing regional theater in Mars Hill. said, his voice trailing off. “We’re lucky
and June Carter. that he was around.” 







10 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Pittsinger enthralls at Riverside Friends luncheon

Elke Fetterolf, Anita Astrachan and Maya Peterson.

Kimberly Paige and Barbara Baldwin. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Linda Teetz and Heidi Waxlax. Ken Clifton and Marlynn Scully.

Nancy Knapp, Judy Gow, Allen Cornell and Susan Johnson. Emily Sherwood and Virginia Schwerin. Shirley Pruitt and Judy Schneebeck.

BY MARY SCHENKEL “We’re very excited about having Da- flowers arranged by Monti’s Floral. Songs of Americana included “The
Staff Writer vid Pittsinger; we’ve crafted the whole “We’re completely sold out with House I Live In,” with its timely mes-
program for him. David, who’s from sage of racial and social unity and the
The lucky ticketholders at the sold- the world of opera, also has a deep 500 guests,” said Friends committee hauntingly beautiful “Ole Man River.”
out Riverside Theatre Friends Fall passion for the musical stage and the chair Emily Sherwood. “It continues
Luncheon last Tuesday were treated American Songbook. He’s really in- to be sold out every year. We’re just so One of the pieces, “What Are You
to an enchanted afternoon, featur- terested in music that speaks to the thrilled with the support we receive Doing the Rest of Your Life,” had
ing the incomparable opera and stage American spirit, from Broadway to from the community.” been added to the arrangement by
performer David Pittsinger. Pitts- the American Songbook to Ameri- Cornell at the behest of patron Sue
inger last melted Vero Beach hearts cana.” Against a mood-lighting backdrop, Marik in memory of her late husband
as Emile de Becque in the 2014 Riv- the simple stage setting had Pittsinger of 62 years, the two of them having so
erside Theatre production of “South Prior to the performance, ladies center stage, fronting superb pianists enjoyed Pittsinger in the Riverside pro-
Pacific,” and returned to thoroughly lunched on entrees of cold poached Clifton and Anne Shuttlesworth. As duction of “South Pacific.”
entrance the audience once again. salmon with a Lemoncello parfait for they did last year, two evening perfor-
dessert, catered by Elizabeth D. Ken- mances were added for all to enjoy. The Friends Committee is the the-
“This is the fourth year that we’ve nedy & Co., at tables positioned in ev- ater’s major fundraising arm, gen-
put together our own musical enter- ery possible space of the Orchid Lob- The audience was spellbound; erally netting more than $500,000
tainment for the luncheon,” said pro- by and Waxlax Theatre. Event chair mesmerized from the very first note through special events such as the
ducing artistic director Allen Cornell, Barbara Stockton and her committee of “Some Enchanted Evening.” Their Fall Luncheon, Supper Club and
who created and produced the show had chosen a fall-toned décor, with delight continued through a Cole Por- Preview Gala. 
with musical director Ken Clifton. centerpieces featuring vibrant yellow ter medley and a variety of melodies
from Broadway musicals including RIVERSIDE PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
“Camelot” and “The Sound of Music.”



12 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Sally Spilman and Liz Schroeder. Barbara Hotchkiss and Susan Pyles.

RIVERSIDE PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
Lynn Babicka, Kathie Pierce, Laura Frick and Baerbel O’Haire.

Vero’s Lifestyle Store

Kathy Hayes and Carol Price. Pat Thompson and Nancy Shoemate.

Julie Vos
Trunk Show

Tuesday & Wednesday
November 29th & 30th

2900 Ocean Drive • 772.231.2901

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 13

PEOPLE

Susanne Bertman, Helen Robertson and Pam Harmon. Ann Jones, Nancy McCormack and Jean Ueltschi.

Barbara Stockton, Emily Sherwood, David Pittsinger and Heidi Waxlax.

14 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

All Starry: Festival of Trees grows at Riverside

BY CHRISTINA TASCON Lisa and Jon Moses. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE donated by Mr. and Mrs. Swarovski,” and they believed that dragonflies
Correspondent said committee member Kelly Holm. were a connection to their loved ones.
joyed Catering Revolution’s delicious “They gave us these totally unbeliev-
Not wanting to contain all the mer- hors d’oeuvres and a special holiday- able binoculars that actually adjust to “Maybe he wants me to buy this
riment it offers to the community in themed Howl at the Moon perfor- the prescription in your eyes.” one,” Franzel said emotionally. Her as-
just one location, Riverside Children’s mance. sistant stroked the dragonfly she had
Theatre expanded this year’s Starry, “This was our dream,” said longtime tattooed on her wrist in her brother’s
Starry Night-themed Festival of Trees A long table in the Orchid Lobby supporter Heidi Waxlax about the fes- memory as they shared the touching
celebration to include the entire Riv- was filled with fabulous silent-auction tival’s expansion. “We wanted to com- moment.
erside Theatre campus, kicking things items to raise additional money to help bine everything because this shows
off Friday evening with a grand Pre- fund the annual Riverside Children’s that it is all one campus. The staff did “We have come many times before,”
view Gala. Theatre budget. so much work to make the whole com- said Darby Glenn, attending with Patsy
plex a beautiful winter wonderland.” Malone. “There’s nowhere here where
The committee opted to spread out “One of the most exciting items was you can see so many beautifully deco-
the ever-growing weekend event, now While some guests said they missed rated trees like this.”
in its 19th year, and give gala revelers a the packed frenzy of previous galas,
chance toast the holidays with an eve- others commented positively on the “I am impressed by the energy and
ning of cocktails, food and entertain- spaciousness of the displays. love you can see that people put into
ment. Friday night visitors enjoyed a making these trees,” said Malone.
first pick of the wonderful gifts, Christ- “There is so much more elbow room; “They have taken their heart and soul
mas decorations and scrumptious it’s a lot easier to see everything,” said and put it into these Christmas trees
goodies at various vendor booths as Robin Lloyd, commenting on how the and you can feel it.”
well as the popular Christmas Shoppe. new arrangement made it easier to ma-
And, of course, the highlight of the neuver around the trees and view them The Festival continued throughout
night – beautiful trees, wreaths and from all sides. the weekend with numerous activities,
gingerbread houses to bid on. including expos on design and deco-
As Page Franzel wandered the tree rating, musical performances by local
Dazzling holiday displays filled Riv- forest with friends, an enormous drag- children, and Breakfast with Santa.
erside Children’s Theatre, while over at onfly landed on one tree’s star topper, There was also a new, highly anticipat-
the main theater building guests en- as if by magic. Franzel’s husband and ed children’s skating rink and a Santa’s
the brother of her assistant had both Village where kids could make crafts
passed away within the last few years and mail off letters to Santa. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 15

PEOPLE

Gail Williams, Diana Stark, Cheryl Deacon. Allyson Bootes, Kim and Mike Thorpe, and Page Franzel. Joan and Al DeCrane.

Emily and Ned Sherwood with Heidi Waxlax. Mike and Cami Kanner with Elizabeth and Dane Ullian. Frank and Mary Lou Christy.

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16 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Write on! Attendees enjoy Love of Literacy event

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Literacy Authors Series held at the
Staff Writer Moorings Yacht and Country Club.

Supporters of Literacy Services of Green, who grew up in Vero Beach,
Indian River County, which offers authored the books “The Valley’s
free, one-to-one and group tutor- Edge: A Year with the Pashtuns in the
ing to adults, enjoyed an intimate Heartland of the Taliban” and “Fal-
evening with guest speaker Daniel lujah Redux: The Anbar Awakening
Green, Ph.D., last Wednesday eve- and the Struggle with Al-Qaeda.” As
ning at the second annual Love of a defense fellow at the Washington
Institute for Near East Policy, Green

Don Mann, Pam Harmon and Dr. Daniel Green. PHOTOS: MITCH KLOORFAIN

has traveled to faraway lands and years, he has served as a senior ad-
has garnered an intimate knowl- viser in the Office of the Secretary of
edge of the inner workings of the Defense and the State Department,
Iraqi political system. with a focus on rebuilding govern-
ments in war-afflicted countries.
In his presentation, Green shared Green, whose third book is due to be
stories of his experiences while serv- released in 2017, said he hopes his
ing as a tribal and political engage- insights will help shape policy.
ment officer in Iraq. Over the past 15

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 17

PEOPLE

Mildred Michos and Claudia Macias. Janie Gould and Mary Silva. Macias said she is now able to read and read the Bible.”
to her children, fill out applications, “There is a fallacy that literacy
make grocery lists, attend teach-
er conferences and even read the begins at birth, and our message is
newspaper. that literacy begins before birth,”
said Executive Director Mary Silva,
Board Chair Don Mann noted that explaining the importance of par-
theirs is the only organization in the ents knowing how to read and write
county that tutors adults wishing to in order to foster education in their
learn how to read and write. children. “If parents aren’t literate
when their children are born, they
“The tutors find out why the adult are already behind.”
student wants to learn to read,” said
Mann, adding that tutors use stu- On Jan. 26, the Literacy Author Se-
dents’ end goals as motivational ries will feature retired Col. Danny
tools for instruction. “Students want R. McKnight (U.S. Army), author of
to learn to read to take their driving “Streets of Mogadishu: Leadership
test, take the U.S. citizenship exam, at its Best, Political Correctness at
fill out applications, write letters its Worst.” 

As he spoke about the processes he toward long-term goals, working for
employed during the Anbar Awak- the past 45 years to improve adult
ening, when the western Iraqi tribes literacy skills. Claudia Macias, a stu-
turned against Al-Qaeda, Green dent of the program, shared a little
said, “I felt like the city of Fallujah about the impact the organization’s
is an iconic city. In 2007 it went from English as a Second Language pro-
750 security incidents to less than gram has made on her life.
80 by the end of the year. That was
due to a variety of factors; working “Learning how to read has
with tribes and counterinsurgency. changed my life, and I will be able to
My colleague, Brig. Gen. William F. help my children too,” said Macias,
Mullen III, and I felt this story had sharing that while English is her
to be told because there’s a way of second language, she hadn’t been
doing this type of work that’s more able to read very well in her native
effective long-term.” tongue either.

Literacy Services is also working Through hard work and the guid-
ance of her tutor, Mildred Michos,

18 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

A toast to good healthcare at VNA/Hospice reception

BY MARY SCHENKEL Judge Paul and Carol Kanarek. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Dr. Hugh and Ann Marie McCrystal. travels and strengthen relationships
Staff Writer in preparation for the work that lies
community that recognizes the im- advocates who work well together ahead. Our community’s most frag-
Kathie and Michael Pierce opened portance of caring for all individu- and have developed a culture of ac- ile patients are counting on the VNA
up their gorgeous oceanfront home als, including those in need who lack countability,” said Kerry Bartlett, to provide the healthcare services
at John’s Island last Wednesday eve- the financial resources or insurance VNA and Hospice Foundation vice they need. We, in turn, rely on board
ning for a cocktail reception under to care for their loved ones on their president. members to ensure adequate re-
the stars to welcome returning VNA own. sources are available to meet goals
and Hospice Foundation and VNA “Tonight was an opportunity for and exceed expectations.”
Treasure Coast board members and “Advancing the health and well- board members from both the VNA
their spouses in advance of another ness mission of the VNA requires operating company and the foun- The nonprofit organization pro-
busy season. volunteer champions, leaders and dation to reconnect after summer vides a wide range of services, in-
cluding home healthcare nursing,
“Everyone loves the VNA; that’s in-home companions, various forms
why we’re all here,” said Kathie of therapy and transportation. As
Pierce, chair of the VNA and Hos- the county’s only licensed hospice
pice Foundation, as guests enjoyed provider, they offer end-of-life care
cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres in individual homes and nursing
catered by Adrienne Drew while homes, hospitals and assisted living
mingling in the large open-air lanai. facilities, as well as at the VNA Hos-
“When you look at Vero as a whole, pice House.
I think it’s one of the best towns for
helping people.” Community wellness services in-
clude the “healthcare on wheels” Mo-
The Visiting Nurse Association bile Health Unit, for the treatment of
of the Treasure Coast was founded minor illnesses for uninsured or un-
more than 40 years ago. The organi- der-insured residents, Shoo-the Flu
zation continues to provide quality vaccinations at locations throughout
patient care in an ever-growing pop- the county, and free blood-pressure
ulation thanks to a philanthropic and sugar screenings. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 19

PEOPLE

Kathie and Michael Pierce with Kerry Bartlett. Bob and Elaine Hameister with Scott and Susan Marzano. Chris and Sue Tompkins with Vicki and Vince Boyle.

John Campione, Richard Johnson and Gil Russell. Fran and Dr. Charles Pieck.

SEE THESE AND OTHER FINE THINGS AT VERO’S FINEST
COLLECTION OF AMERICAN-MADE ART AND JEWELRY

THEL AUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM 2910 CARDINAL DR.
VERO BEACH, FL
7 72 . 2 3 4 . 6711

20 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Fall’s well! St. Helen’s Harvest Fest quite a ride

1 23

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 21

PEOPLE

4 56

7

FALL FESTIVAL CAPTIONS

1. Tesia Sotiropoulos and Devin Poirier enjoy the

fried pickles. 2. Jason Kenney, Tatiana Boehning,

Hannah Morris and Maria Miller ride The Dragon.

3. Cythia Calvo, Alvaro Vargas with ‘little Alvaro,’

and Kate Tarr. 4. Abby Barnhart, Delaney

Cooksey and Palmer Cooksey ride the Cliffhanger.

5. Neal and Nancy Lohuis with grandchildren

David Stott, Ellie and Annie McAndrew. 6. Allan

and Judy Ley with an apple pie from the Cake

Walk. 7. Miles Livingston takes his best swing at

the Chicken in a Pot game, with dad Dr. Jeffrey

Livingston. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

The delightful nip of autumn greet-
ed festival-goers at this year’s 52nd
annual St. Helen’s Harvest Festi-
val, featuring a weekend filled with
old-fashioned family fun on the
grounds of Historic Dodgertown.
Hundreds of St. Helen’s parishio-
ners and friends enlisted the help
of Deggeler Attractions of Stuart to
offer up four days of great midway
rides and carnival games, Christ-
mas gifts and raffles and the tempt-
ing aroma of mouth-watering food.
Proceeds help fund the education
and community outreach programs
of St. Helen Catholic Church. 

22 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

For ELC, Golfin’ for the Lagoon was par excellence

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Lagoon Tournament at Bent Pine
Staff Writer Golf Club.

Duffers have been hitting the The tournament has always been a
links at courses throughout Indian successful fundraiser, and this year
River County for nearly 100 years, co-chairs Don Barr and Dave Mor-
and for the past 24 years golfers gan opted to raise the bar by adding
have teed off to protect our environ- a pre-tournament dinner Thursday
ment at the Environmental Learn- evening in addition to golf the fol-
ing Center’s annual Golfin’ for the lowing day. On Thursday guests en-
joyed cocktails, dinner and a live

Susan and George Kovalick. PHOTOS: HOLLY PORCH Molly and Auguste Steinwald with Noel Cooke.

auction for trips to Europe, cases of to educate, inspire and empower all
wine, custom golf clubs and even a people, including those with mini-
private luxury river cruise in France mal access to nature, to become ac-
on a 143-foot barge. tive stewards of the environment.

The two-day affair perfectly com- “When players tee off this year,
bined golf, camaraderie and envi- they play for much higher stakes
ronmental awareness, strengthen- than the players who teed off at our
ing the mission of the ELC, which is inaugural charity golf tournament

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Don Barr and David Morgan.

in 1992,” said Molly Steinwald, ELC
executive director.

“Back then, the human popula-
tion along the shores of our Indian
River Lagoon was about 750,000.
Now it is in excess of 1.65 million.
Such significant human-made
changes have greatly altered the re-
lationship between humanity and
the lagoon and upped the stakes for
both. This region’s future depends
on the health of the lagoon and
how well we individually and col-
lectively respond to the dramatic
environmental changes that have
taken place over the past several
decades.”

That the ELC is making headway
in its efforts to create an eco-friend-
ly society through the education of
the next generation was abundantly
clear when two young speakers took
the podium. Avid environmentalist
Quinn Hiaasen and Bryce Hauser, a
Vero Beach High School golf stand-
out, are two of the founding mem-
bers of Lines in the Lagoon, a local
nonprofit founded by area youth to
encourage their peers to become
environmental ambassadors.

The boys use the annual fish-
ing tournament to raise awareness
among young anglers about the
decline of the Indian River Lagoon
and have included information
about the damage that can be trig-
gered by golf courses as part of their
message.

“There are golf courses in Indian
River County that are environmen-
tally friendly, but we need them all
to do what it takes to protect the en-
vironment,” said Hiaasen.

“At ELC we work to deepen peo-
ple’s knowledge of our collective
dependence upon the lagoon and
our stewardship responsibility for
protecting it,” said Steinwald. “We
are deeply grateful for the support
we receive through our golf tourna-
ment. It allows us, through a myriad
of multidisciplinary programs, to
educate and empower the citizens
of our region and beyond – people
from all ages, walks of life, and
communities – to address the cru-
cial role the lagoon plays in people’s
everyday lives.” 

24 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

At 25th bash, Habitat for Humanity homes in on future

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Bill and Cis Glavin. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Barbara and David Crosby. tion in the area of neighborhood revi-
Staff Writer talization.
the incredible items available. unteer labor and a very small budget.
Indian River Habitat for Humanity “Twenty-five! Yes, it’s only a num- Today our ministry employs 40 staff To help celebrate the auspicious oc-
threw a two-day house party to cel- members who supervise nearly 1,500 casion, Habitat for Humanity Interna-
ebrate 25 years of assisting families ber, but when you attach the word volunteers. And, we process millions tional CEO Jonathan Reckford was on
to attain safe, affordable homeowner- anniversary to it, it becomes more, of dollars of donations, grants and rev- hand and shared his pride in the local
ship. a lot more. The 25th anniversary of enue generated by our ReStore in order affiliate’s accomplishments.
anything makes you pause and re- to serve nearly 90 families a year.”
“Our anniversary slogan, ‘Much to flect, not only on the past 25 years but “If we can keep people in their
Celebrate – More to Come,’ embodies what the next 25 will bring,” said Andy Over the past 25 years, the nonprofit homes, that is actually a significant
the pride we have in our accomplish- Bowler, Indian River Habitat president has helped 671 families locally and has cost savings to society,” said Reckford.
ments over the last 25 years and the and CEO. pledged to assist 500 local families over “We want to be a partner and a catalyst
desire Indian River Habitat for Hu- the course of the next five years. With for worldwide access to safe, decent
manity has to continue serving Indian Highlighting their accomplish- changes in the housing market, the and affordable housing.”
River County in the future, through ments, Bowler said, “We started by group plans to focus more of its atten-
not only building and rehabbing building one house a year with all vol- The cost for a two-bedroom rental
homes but in assisting our homeown- apartment in Indian River County is
ers in constructing the framework in roughly $850 per month, meaning
building better lives,” said Connie that someone earning minimum wage
Poppell, board chair. would need to work a minimum of 80
hours a week to be able to afford decent
Last Monday evening, Habitat cel- housing.
ebrated the tremendous efforts of
the many volunteers who make the Bowler challenged guests to help
nonprofit’s work possible. Then, on end the social injustice of unsafe hous-
Tuesday night, more than 100 donors ing, asking, “Have you got what it
perused the recently renovated and takes? Anybody and everybody in this
expanded ReStore, with quite a few community can support Habitat for
unable to resist purchasing some of Humanity by donating, shopping and
volunteering in the ReStore or volun-
teering on the worksite.” 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 25

PEOPLE

Bernie Godek, Bob Calhoun and Jonathan Reckford. Liz Bowler, Kerry Firth and Jerusha Stewart. David Sommers, Connie Poppell and Kent Seeley.

Bruce Barkett with Janet and George Watson.

Eric Flowers and Barry Shapiro.

Faye and Freddie Woolfork with Jackye Hudson.

Jean and Gene Cravens.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Well ‘Wishes’ at Finding Peace Amid the Chaos event

BY MARY SCHENKEL Art Ciasca and Frank Shankwitz. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Willie and Cathy LaCroix. transformed the lives of more than
Staff Writer 350,000 children around the world
stead of ending up in their current pre- to mental-health services, and one of through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Frank Shankwitz, the inspirational dicaments if they’d had access to the its most successful undertakings, the
founder of the Make-A-Wish Founda- early diagnosis and treatment of their Mental Health Court. Shankwitz told of his troubled child-
tion, gave an emotionally charged talk mental health issues. hood, abandoned by his mother as a
to a roomful of guests at the Grand “These are people who would be in toddler and raised by his loving fa-
Harbor Golf Club last Thursday eve- Indian River Sheriff’s Office Lt. Eric our jails otherwise,” said Flowers of the ther and grandparents until he was
ning. He was the featured speaker at Flowers shared that 55 percent of the 100 clients in the program now. “It’s kidnapped at age 5 by his mother. She
this year’s Finding Peace Amid the people they take in self-report some amazing to see the transformation in spirited him away for an impoverished
Chaos fundraiser to benefit Suncoast sort of mental health issue. He spoke these folks’ lives.” life on the run before once again aban-
Mental Health Center, which serves briefly about the Mental Health Col- doning him when he reached seventh
the behavioral and mental-health laborative, an affiliation of funders and Shankwitz spoke about the chance grade.
needs of Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie providers working to increase access meeting he had with a little 7-year-old
and Okeechobee County residents. boy dying of leukemia, that has since He was helped along the way by car-
ing people, coaches and teachers, in-
“My sincere hope is that when you cluding a wonderful mentor in a little
leave here tonight your thoughts about town in Arizona who advised him to
mental health are changed,” said Sun- give back, even if just in small ways,
coast CEO Art Ciasca, noting that one and told him, “You’ve got to learn to
of the most critical ways to generate turn those negatives into positives.”
change and decrease the stigma at-
tached to mental health is to bring it After a stint in the Air Force, Shank-
out into the open and get people talk- witz eventually joined the Arizona
ing about it. Highway Patrol, retiring two years ago
after 42 years of service. A member of
Gabrielle Radcliff, Suncoast board the Fatal Accident team, he regularly
president and a criminal defense attor- saw the effects of horrific crashes, and
ney, said that she sees people every day in 1978 was nearly a statistic himself,
who could have led productive lives in- pronounced dead at the scene before
being brought back to life. Because of

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 27

PEOPLE

the stigma attached to mental health, who had just weeks to live and whose a coma just long enough for them to we do the same for other children?”
he checked himself in to a psych ward favorite TV show was “CHiPs.” The pin on a specially-made motorcycle The organization received world-
under an assumed name for a couple little boy told him, “I wish I could be a cop wing pin, before he passed away
of weeks, but said he continued to motorcycle cop.” that day. wide recognition once Disney got in-
search for his purpose in life. volved, and today wishes are granted
They had a special tiny uniform “His wish had become true,” said roughly every 38 minutes through 64
As a motorcycle officer, he was made which was later hanging in the Shankwitz, who said he then thought, chapters in the United States and 36
asked to visit with a 7-year-old boy boy’s hospital room as he came out of “This little boy had his wish. Why can’t overseas. 

VB COUNTRY CLUB

28 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Super chefs whip up a winner for March of Dimes

BY MARY SCHENKEL Dr. Stephen and Cori Tate with Jennifer and Dr. Phillip Nye. at just 24 weeks. They are the children weeks old. The baby has to be 2 pounds
Staff Writer of Katherine and Dr. Brett Faulknier, and stable in order to be held,” said
ner, Blue Star Brasserie; and dessert was and Katherine shared the story of her Faulknier, adding that skin-to-skin
Chefs and philanthropists joined provided by Quail Valley’s Joe Faria. kids’ perilous journey into the world. “kangaroo care” seemed to work. “It
forces to support the teeny tiniest starts the whole bonding which had re-
among us at the eighth annual March A large selection of silent-auction During the early days of her first ally been delayed. It seemed like after
of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction items was displayed in the dining pregnancy, Katherine Faulknier was we held her she slowly improved.”
last Monday evening at the Quail Val- room, and in the bar area guests en- working as an RN and things were go-
ley River Club. Co-chaired by Emily joyed listening to guitarist Jesse Kerner ing well until she felt a little backache, When Lilly was 3, Faulknier became
Burgoon and Citrus Grillhouse owner and sampling wines from the Ard Aven which fortuitously she did not ignore. pregnant with her second child and
Chef Scott Varricchio, the event raises Winery offered by Willow Creek dis- After calling her doctor and going in had the cerclage placed at 16 weeks. She
money to improve the health of babies tributor Tiffany Rueter. Attorney John for an exam, she was diagnosed with again went into preterm labor, but this
through the prevention of birth defects, Moore enticed bidding through a live an incompetent (short) cervix, that was time at 32 weeks, delivering Riley Jack
premature birth and infant mortality. auction and Fund the Mission paddle not strong enough to hold the pregnan- at 5 pounds, 16 inches.
raise, and the Faulknier family put a cy. The doctor hoped to get the baby to
Inclement weather dictated that face to the mission. at least 27 weeks by strengthening the “Both of them just continued to
chefs set up their food stations along cervix with a cerclage (stitch), but Lilly thrive,” said Faulknier. “Those days
the covered veranda rather than the Lilly and Riley Jack Faulknier, ages was on her way. are far behind us. The March of Dimes
open-air patio, but the 10 talented chefs 14 and 10, are robust and healthy today was with us every step of the way,
were up to the occasion. but both were born prematurely; Lilly “We were very, very blessed that I from knowing to take folic acid prena-
went in with that little complaint,” she tally, to the steroid shots given to me
In addition to Varricchio, tapas-style said. to strengthen the baby’s lungs when
creations were presented by chefs Ste- I was delivering very early, to the re-
phane Becht, Bistro Fourchette; Chris- The doctors gave her steroid shots to search in multiple interventions in
topher Bireley, Osceola Bistro; Clay strengthen the baby’s lungs and deliv- the NICU, including kangaroo care,
Conley, Buccan; Eric Grutka, Ian’s ered the miniscule 1-pound, 11-inch and the family support group that fol-
Tropical Grill; Jason Stocks, District baby girl by C-section. Lilly’s first few lowed me home. There are seven areas
Table & Bar; Brett Johanson, Avanzare; weeks of a three-month stay in neo- the March of Dimes is focusing on this
Daniel Traimas, Cobalt; Mike VanBus- natal intensive care unit were fraught year, and one of the research areas is
kirk, Southern Social; and Kitty Wag- with peril. the incompetent cervix.” 

“I held her for the first time at 8

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 29

PEOPLE

Katherine and Dr.Brett Faulknier with children Riley Jack and Lilly Faulknier. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

Jann Moylan, Jami Dalili and David Bankston.

Kristina Pernfors and Rebecca Emmons. Emmett and Margaret Anne Evans.

CHEF PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
Kimberly Paul, Emily Burgoon and Megan Raasveldt.

30 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

CHEF PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Dr Mark Malias, Alana Paul, and Toni Houdyshell. Tara and Brian McGowan.
Pilar Turner, Scott Varricchio and Gladys LaForge.

Vicky and Dr. Raul Storey.

Scott and Naomi Seymour.
Stephanie and Buzz MacWilliam.



32 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

After Mosul, will Kurdistan be free?
BY JANINE DI GIOVANNI | WASHINGTON POST WRITER’S GROUP

Iraqi Kurds are playing a crucial role cessful against ISIS, especially in the YPG) fought for six months, driving In Rojava, eastern Syria, the YPG –
in the battle of Mosul, which began on battle for Kobani near the Turkish bor- out ISIS with the help of U.S. military affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’
October 17 and is being led by Iraqi der; the Kurdish People’s Protection strikes, and finally secured the town in Party in Turkey and a mainly Kurdish
forces with some help from the U.S. Units (known by the Kurdish acronym March 2015. alliance of rebels – has been governing
Will their reward finally be indepen- itself in an autonomous region since
dence – or at least greater sovereignty? Kurds watch the Syrian town of Kobane from the Turkish border. the war began.
Or will it, as some worry, be yet another
cruel disappointment. Soldiers with the Kurdish peshmerga walk Now, two years after the fall of Mo-
at an outpost on the edges of the sul to ISIS, Iraq’s Kurds hope to lever-
A stateless people of roughly 25 mil- contested city of Kirkuk. age a victory as well. If the coalition
lion, Kurds live in oil-rich parts of Iraq, succeeds in Mosul, it could have sig-
Turkey, Iran and Syria. They’re known A Kurdish border police nificant consequences for them. An
for their skill on the battlefield, and soldier prepares his weapon agreement signed with the U.S. in-
they’ve long felt that other countries – before going to the front line cludes financial support for the pesh-
especially the U.S. – use them as prox- in an operation to attack IS merga fighters.
ies, then abandon them when they’re
no longer needed. and clear and secure an Meanwhile, Masoud Barzani, pres-
IS-controlled village. ident of the Iraqi Kurdistan region,
There’s ample cause for that belief. has been heavily pushing for state-
Kurdish history is a litany of Western hood. Since late last year, he has di-
betrayals. rected his party – one of the main
Kurdish political groups – to work
“The independence of Kurdistan with its counterparts to prepare for
is the right of our people,” Nechirvan a referendum on independence.
Barzani, the Iraqi Kurdish regional That effort, however, is stalled, as the
prime minister, told Voice of America Kurdistan Regional Parliament has
last summer. not sat since August 2015 because of
a variety of internal economic and
But unfortunately for the Kurds, it’s political issues, so Kurdistan cannot
not entirely up to them, and it never legitimately call for a referendum un-
has been. In 1920, after World War I, til that changes.
Great Britain, France, Italy and the Ot-
toman Empire agreed to an indepen- But even if Iraqi Kurdish leaders
dent Kurdish state. But just three years can settle their differences, some
later, in a separate treaty, the Allies rec- analysts, such as Dov Friedman – the
ognized Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s Tur- former U.S. director for Middle East
key – leaving the Kurds without a home. Petroleum, a British-Turkish energy
company – argue that an indepen-
Since then, different Kurdish groups dent Kurdistan north of Iraq would
have tried, and failed, to form their throw the region into greater turmoil.
own states. Case in point: Iraq.
“How viable is a landlocked state
In the early 1970s, when that coun- that is dependent on exporting natural
try was aligned with the Soviet Union, resources through a corridor plagued
the Shah of Iran persuaded the United by violent conflict?” he recently wrote
States to arm Iraq’s Kurds to fight Iraqi in Foreign Policy.
dictator Saddam Hussein. Eventually,
however, Iran withdrew its support, as The Kurds know too well that their
did the United States, and once again moment may come at a time of great
the Kurds felt betrayed. chaos in the region. But they believe
they’re ready for statehood. Some ana-
About a decade later, after Tehran’s lysts agree.
Islamic Revolution, and with Iran and
Iraq at war, the U.S. began helping Peter Galbraith, a former U.S. am-
Baghdad, which meant indirect sup- bassador who helped set up the oil
port for Hussein’s long-running battle industry in Iraqi Kurdistan after his
with Kurdish separatists. In 1988, dur- career in government, says the Kurds
ing the final days of the conflict, Husse- in Iraq are better prepared for inde-
in’s forces used chemical weapons and pendence than the people of any oth-
indiscriminate bombing to slaughter er emerging country he has worked
tens of thousands of Kurds. in – including Croatia, East Timor
and South Sudan.
Since the American invasion of Iraq
in 2003, the country’s Kurds have con- One reason: Despite political divi-
trolled a semiautonomous region in sions among Kurdish groups, there is a
the north. This area has been relatively strong consensus for statehood. A sur-
safe and stable compared with the rest vey conducted in August by the Ameri-
of the nation, where sectarian violence can University of Kurdistan estimates
has flared for more than a decade. And that more than 84.3 percent of people
since the rise of ISIS, Kurdish peshmer- in Iraqi Kurdistan would vote for inde-
ga fighters have been the most compe- pendence.
tent and successful force battling the
jihadi group in Iraq. There are also some signs of inter-
national support. U.S. Secretary of
Syria’s Kurds have also been suc-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 33

INSIGHT COVER STORY Kurds take photos with their phones next
to the IS black flag they captured after
Kurdish border police soldiers advance to the frontline during an operation they took control of a village

Kurdish border police soldiers look out from
a building on the frontline during an operation
to attack IS and clear and secure the IS
controlled village of Yangega,
south of Kirkuk, Kurdistan.

A Peshmerga soldier aims his weapon Kurdish border police take down the
out of a window while guarding an area IS black flag after taking control
controlled by the Peshmerga during during a three-day offensive
heavy fighting between Peshmerga operation.
and IS forces in Jalawla, Iraq.
intervention and demanded the YPG,
State John Kerry and Antony Blinken, which had just captured a strategic
his deputy, have recently traveled to town from ISIS, pull back east of the
the region for meetings with Kurdish Euphrates River.
leaders. And U.N. Ambassador Saman-
tha Power devoted large portions of Galbraith says Iraqi Kurds have a
her 2002 Pulitzer Prize–winning book, much better relationship with Turkey
A Problem From Hell, to the Kurdish than they once did; for the past 13
genocide, and she was highly critical of years, they have been exporting crude
Hussein’s chemical warfare against the oil to Ankara in what’s become a stra-
Kurds in Iraq. tegically important and lucrative ar-
rangement for both sides.
The U.S. government, however, has
not officially supported Kurdish inde- But oil isn’t a panacea for Iraqi Kurds;
pendence in Iraq. Part of this is due to revenue is currently low due to the
fears of greater chaos in the region. collapse in prices, and there are con-
tinued budget disputes with the Iraqi
The other part has to do with Tur- government. The result has been a loss
key. A NATO member that has been in profit that, coupled with the cost of
battling Kurdish separatists for de- fighting ISIS, has drastically eroded
cades, Turkey recently sent troops Kurdish finances.
into Syrian territory ostensibly to
help fight ISIS but also to contain These obstacles, some analysts say,
Kurdish advances. will likely delay Kurdish indepen-
dence.
Ankara worries that if Iraqi Kurdis-
tan declares independence, Kurdish “While there is no doubt that the
groups in Syria and Turkey would do Kurdistan region is heading toward
the same, threatening Ankara’s territo- successful self-determination,” says
rial claims as well as oil transportation Samuel Morris, a research fellow at the
routes within the country. Middle East Research Institute, a think
tank in Washington, D.C., “Kurdish in-
In August, Syrian Kurdish groups dependence, in the short term, is unre-
felt a familiar sense of betrayal when alistic.” 
the U.S. supported Turkish military

34 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

Thanksgiving message from the publisher of Vero Beach 32963

This issue of Vero Beach 32963 and friends right here in our island Thanksgiving is also a good time to cut another 2 percent of its workforce
marks another first for your island shops. update you on the exciting develop- last month – to join our full-time team
newspaper. ments taking place with our company, of more than two dozen professional
This holiday section, which the OBA Vero Beach 32963 Media, LLC, which reporters, editors and photographers.
While daily newspapers around and VBRC are co-sponsoring, will run has expanded both its island reader-
the country this fall are experiencing weekly through December. ship and its mainland reach in the last Earlier in mid-summer, we expand-
a precipitous drop in advertising, we six months. ed our mainland coverage – where
have just had our best November ever And to give our readers even more Vero News and Sebastian River News
– and our Thanksgiving Week issue money to spend on Christmas pres- Our new island publication, Mel- have by far the largest presence in In-
this year marks the first time we have ents, Vero Beach 32963 has decided bourne Beach 32951, launched only dian River County – with the new St.
ever had to turn away ads for lack of to run a special Island Holiday Photo two months ago, starts where Vero Lucie Voice, which goes to every home
space. Contest. Beach 32963 leaves off at the Sebastian in PGA Village, St. Lucie West and Tra-
Inlet. dition.
Fortunately, the Thanksgiving Week Send photos that you think best
problem is an isolated one – since capture Christmas on the island to This paper covers the next 17 miles As a tumultuous year draws to an
that is the week each year when 32963 [email protected], and the of the barrier island to our north, all the end, we pause at Thanksgiving time
brings you your Veranda holiday cata- best photo of the season will win a way up to the outskirts of Melbourne. to give thanks for all the good things
log, which limits the number of pages $200 first-prize gift certificate. We also that have happened to us in 2016.
we can publish and still be under the will give $50 gift certificates for any To cover the news on this additional
Postal Service weight limit. photos submitted that we wind up stretch of island, we have hired three We hope that in every way, 2017 is
publishing in our “Christmas on the journalists who spent a collective five a great year for everyone – and for
Still, this is the first time in our nine Island” section. decades working for Gannett – which America. 
years – Can you believe it? Nine? – that
we have ever run up against the postal
weight limit.

Next week, we will be back with
more pages which will enable us to
display more of the stories and pho-
tos that our island readers tell us they
look forward to each week.

We are thankful to be the newspa-
per of a community that still values
and supports print journalism.

The December 1 issue of Vero Beach
32963 will also mark another first –
the debut of our new holiday section,
“Christmas on the Island.”

For several months, we have been
working with the Oceanside Business
Association (OBA) and Vero’s Beach-
side Retailers Co (VBRC) to come
up with a better way of covering the
events of the holidays, and apprising
our readers of the many great oppor-
tunities to pick up presents for family





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38 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOK REVIEW

In “Bellevue: Three Centuries of Med- ever been too destitute for its char- quashed by scandal amid rumors of wards for the criminally insane engen-
icine and Mayhem at America’s Most ity. Oshinsky delineates the squalor in homosexuality. He reviews the popu- dered their own legal system, allowing
Storied Hospital,” David Oshinsky has which impoverished immigrants have larization of circumcision, led by a Bel- people to be tried before a clinically
written a meticulous if somewhat too lived in New York and the pestilence levue physician. He depicts the emer- trained judge in a hospital courtroom.
narrowly focused history that lays out associated with their misery. He writes gence of a “chest service” in the 1920s Oshinsky narrates Lauretta Bender’s
the progress of medicine in the United of the hospital’s function in times of that affiliated cardiology and pulmon- alarming midcentury experiments us-
States as well as the contextual history plague: yellow fever, cholera, ¬puer- ology. ing electroconvulsive therapy for chil-
within which it has unfolded. peral fever, tuberculosis, swine flu, dren with a broad range of diagnoses,
AIDS, even Ebola. Unlike many parallel Oshinsky writes with particular vigor some of whom seem to have been
Bellevue was one of the first public institutions, Bellevue has never turned of Bellevue’s refusal to subscribe to pop- helped and many of whom were cer-
hospitals in North America. From its away incurable patients, offering them ular prejudices, noting that the hospi- tainly traumatized.
first incarnation as a small infirmary in whatever mitigating treatment was tal welcomed Jewish doctors as well as
the 1660s up to its role in the AIDS crisis possible, often risking doctors’ lives in Christian ones, female doctors as well All in all, Oshinsky portrays “a place
and beyond, it has been central to the the process. as male ones, and African American where bold, creative, if sometimes bi-
invention of the American hospital as staff as well as Caucasian. Implicitly, zarre and Frankenstein-like, experi-
we know it. Oshinsky’s narrative reveals Oshinsky’s book also chronicles he tells the story of a nation riven with mentation prevailed.” The gist of the
how hospitals, once a public service the gradual professionalization of bigotry, where the social advancement book is that caring for impoverished
only for desperate people unable to pay medicine, describing the 18th-cen- of stigmatized groups was contingent populations, criminals, the insane and
a doctor to visit them at home, became tury grave robbers who enabled early on their irrefutable courage, brilliance AIDS victims has always been steeply
the central locus of modern health care. medical students to learn anatomy and ingenuity. He is particularly impas- challenging work that all too often goes
and how those amateurish operations sioned about the achievements of early unacknowledged. It makes you feel bet-
Bellevue contained an almshouse in evolved into the highly competitive, female doctors. ter about humanity to learn about peo-
its early days, and one of its buildings technologically sophisticated medi- ple who have chosen this noble work
more recently served as a homeless cal schools of today. The author traces In the public imagination, Bellevue over the centuries; indeed, Oshinsky’s
shelter; no one, sick or otherwise, has the invention of the modern American is synonymous with psychiatry, but its greatest strength may be his capacity
civilian ambulance following the use of psychiatric facility did not achieve real for admiration. But seldom do we really
medical evacuation vehicles during the prominence until the late 19th century, get to know these people; they appear
Civil War. He describes the infancy of though the hospital had long includ- in vignettes – largely professional ones
anesthesia in the mid-19th century. He ed a small wing for the insane. In the – until the AIDS chapter, where he ex-
takes us through the gunfire to which 1840s, the issue of mixing the mentally pands more liberally on the personali-
Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James ill with the physically ill began to attract ties involved.
Garfield succumbed. He reflects on the troubling notice. “The invalid, the aged,
debates about germ theory, quoting the the infirm, the vagrant, and half luna- If you are already interested in the
once-prevalent medical wisdom that tic [are] now confined together, and are history of Bellevue, this is the book
the removal of a bullet should always allowed the most unrestrained inter- for you; if you are not thus invested,
be done with the “thumb and fore- course,” a grand jury reported, calling you may not feel compelled to stick
finger,” usually unwashed, a prejudice such arrangements an affront to “every out some of the tough sledding. The
that endured even after the advent of Christian.” Journalist Nellie Bly, in a prose can be academic even when the
sterile procedures. famous 1887 undercover assignment, content has the potential to be elec-
exposed the appalling conditions in trifying. 
He reports on how Florence Night- which the mentally ill were being held
ingale’s visionary practice of nursing in for supposed treatment. Funding for BELLEVUE: THREE CENTURIES OF MEDICINE
the Crimean War provided a model for and attention to their care soon in- AND MAYHEM AT AMERICA’S MOST
the nursing school at Bellevue, where creased by vast multiples. STORIED HOSPITAL
only women who were “moral” and BY DAVID OSHINSKY
“cultivated” were allowed to assist; he Doctors at Bellevue have since Doubleday. 387 pp. $30.
also recounts the hospital’s flirtation championed some of what came to be
with training male nurses, which was seen as best practices and some of what Review by Andrew Solomon, Washington Post
came to be seen as the worst. Locked

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 39

INSIGHT GAMES BRIDGE

THE SECOND FIT MAY BE BETTER WEST NORTH EAST
982 Q74 10 5
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist K Q 10 7 3 52 AJ986
K94 10 7 6 QJ83
David Sarnoff, a businessman and media pioneer who died in 1971, said, “Success, 52 A Q 10 8 3 J4
in a generally accepted sense of the term, means the opportunity to experience and to
realize to the maximum the forces that are within us.” SOUTH
AKJ63
At the bridge table, we would like to end each deal with the maximum possible score. 4
That usually only requires bidding and playing sensibly. But sometimes it needs a little A52
of that je ne sais quoi. K976

In this week’s deal, look at the North hand. South opens one spade, North raises to Dealer: South; Vulnerable: Neither
two spades, and South rebids three clubs. What should North do now?
The Bidding:
South’s three-club bid is a help-suit game-try, asking North to look in particular at
his black suits. With few points there, North signs off in three spades; but with good SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
holdings, he typically jumps to four spades. However, with a magic hand like this one, 1 Spades Pass 2 Spades Pass
he tells partner about the double fit by raising to four clubs. 3 Clubs Pass ?? LEAD:
K Hearts
Now analyze the deal. How does South get on with (a) spades or (b) clubs as
trumps?

In spades, South has only 11 tricks: five spades, one diamond and five clubs. Declarer
must lose either two diamonds or one trick in each red suit.

In clubs, though, there are 12 winners: five spades, one diamond, five clubs, and one
heart ruff in South, the shorter trump hand. Two diamond losers disappear from North
on South’s fourth and fifth spades.

When North raises three clubs to four clubs, South, placing his partner with the spade
queen and club ace-queen, should go for the maximum by jumping to six clubs.

40 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (NOVEMBER 17) ON PAGE 64

ACROSS DOWN
7 Procession (6) 1 Bet (6)
8 Lucky charm (6) 2 Spotted beetle (8)
9 Conform (4) 3 Flower part (5)
10 Creative (8) 4 Fond of (7)
11 Excellence (5) 5 Cuddles (4)
12 Herbal garnish (7) 6 Purify (6)
15 Progress (7) 13 Helps (8)
17 Small shovel (5) 14 Afternoon show (7)
2 Status (8) 16 Improve (6)
22 Eggshaped (4) 18 Male ducks (6)
23 Industrious (6) 19 Flat (5)
24 Respect (6) 21 Revolve (4)

The Telegraph

How to do Sudoku:

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

The Telegraph











46 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Coming Up: Walk the Bok and feast on natural beauty

1 When you finally push away slopes just beyond the carillon tower. a couple on a strange road trip. The
from the table this Thanksgiv- On Thanksgiving Day, staff carillon- film first screened in 2012 at the South
neur Geert D’hollander will be giving by Southwest Film Festival and won a
ing, consider a long walk through one live concerts at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (you special jury award. It later won praise
can watch him from some outdoor by a New York Times critic, who com-
of the state’s most beautiful botani- benches via closed-circuit TV). pared it to a Francoise Sagan novel.

cal gardens, Bok Tower. Situated on a The films are shown at 7:30 p.m.
both nights. On Dec. 9 and 10 is Jim
hill that is one of the highest points in Jarmusch’s “Stranger than Paradise;
and on Dec. 16 and 17, Kelly Reich-
Florida, landscaped by Frederick Ol- ardt’s “River of Grass.”

mstead, the just-expanded park offers 2 Once upon a time, globalism
wasn’t such a dirty word to Amer-
Bok Tower. an extraordinary vista from its grassy

ican Revolutionists, those of the 18th

century anyway. That’s the premise of

a new book, “Brothers at Arms,” by a

fascinating George Mason University 4 Nov. 30, the Dave Koz Christmas
Tour stops at Fort Pierce’s Sun-
history professor, Larrie Ferreiro.

In a presentation next Thursday, rise Theater. He’ll be bringing three

Dec. 1, at the Vero Beach Book Center, guests – Ashford and Simpson’s Val-

Ferreiro will share his scholarship of erie Simpson; the R&B singer Kenny

the individuals in France and Spain Lattimore, who rose to fame singing

that proved critical to American in- with his then-wife Chanté Moore; and

dependence. The aid they arranged the South African-born singer Jona-

to the American war effort included than Butler.

what would today amount to $400 bil-

lion and 90 percent of the guns used

by the colonists.

Ferreiro, who earned his Ph.D. in

the history of science and technology

from Imperial College in London, has

worked as a naval architect in the U.S.,

British and French navies, as well as

the U.S. Coast Guard. An earlier book,

“Ships and Science,” studied the sci- “The Nutcracker.”

ence of naval architecture from 1600

to 1800, and maintains that the ship

theory – the science of maneuvering 5 Closer to home, Space Coast Bal-
let’s “Nutcracker” features Maria
and sail theory, ship resistance and

hydrodynamics, was a crucial piece of Baranova, who last year left the Finn-

the Scientific Revolution. ish National Ballet to join Boston Bal-

let as a soloist; and Florimond Lorieux,

3 Jared Thomas, the innovative a longtime Paris Opera Ballet dancer
co-founder of the downtown
who just joined Boston Ballet as a solo-

Vero gallery Project Space 1785, has ist. Performances are at the King Cen-

organized a series of screenings of ter on Dec. 5, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

independent films, all of them set in And here in Vero Friday, the students

Florida. The series runs through De- and faculty of Vero Classical Ballet

cember and begins next Friday and stage their annual “Nutcracker” at the

Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3, with Amy Vero Beach High School Performing

Seimetz’s thriller “Sun Don’t Shine.” Arts Center. Performances are at 2

Set in central Florida, the film follows p.m. and 7 p.m. 

Opera 2017 Verdi’s LoVE & Loss: Viva La Zarzuela!

Rigoletto An Spanish Operetta in Concert
Evening
January 8 • 3 pm Passion
of &
Puccini
Romance

Seduction • Sacrifice • Tragedy February 4 • 7 pm March 25 • 7 pm Season Sponsor

Fully staged opera, with the Featuring rising stars from Philadelphia’s Academy Sponsored in part by the State
Brevard Symphony Orchestra of Vocal Arts, accompanied by Chamber Orchestra of Florida, Department of State,
Division of Cultural Affairs and
Photos by JPR Images the Florida Council on Arts and
Culture.
VBHS Performing Arts Center • 1707 16th Street, Vero Beach

Online Ticketing VeroBeachOpera.org • Box Office 772-564-5537



48 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Study tackles epilepsy drugs’ effects on unborn children

BY MARIA CANFIELD Dr. Kristy Crawford. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE
Correspondent

This is one in an occasional series
about children’s health issues. We
know that many of our readers are
grandparents keenly interested in the
health and well-being of grandchil-
dren. We hope this series will provide
readers useful health information
they can share with their families.

Pregnancy is a time of heightened
concern for women with epilepsy,
especially regarding the effect sei-
zure medication may have on un-
born children. A new study from
Royal Manchester Children’s Hos-
pital in England provides some re-
assurance about two drugs, at least
relative to children’s cognitive de-
velopment, but reinforces concerns
about the third anti-seizure medi-
cation.

In 2016, 171 mothers who had
given birth between 2004 and 2007
were enrolled in the study, and the
cognitive abilities of their then-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 49

HEALTH

school-age children analyzed in tant that your teams work together on and spine. Anti-seizure medication low the best practice of giving the low-
what is called a “retrospective re- your – and your baby’s – behalf. can cause a folate deficiency, so wom- est dose of medicine to get the desired
view.” en with epilepsy may need a higher- result.” She adds that sometimes two
 Plan for frequent visits to your than-typical dose.” anti-seizure medications are given to
We spoke about the study with Dr. neurology team during pregnancy. those with epilepsy; this should be
Kristy Crawford, D.O., who recently Levels of seizure medications will  Pay attention to healthy living and avoided in pregnant women. She adds
joined IRMC’s Partners in Women’s need to be monitored regularly and those things that can “trigger” sei- that doctors should discuss the risks
Health practice. She says the only changes in doses may be needed. Dr. zures. Some women are more likely to and benefits of all treatments with
way such a study will ever be con- Crawford says “a dose that worked have seizures during pregnancy due their patients.
ducted is retrospectively, as a true pre-pregnancy may not work in preg- to hormonal changes or fluctuating
clinical trial will never be conducted nancy, due to changes in how the kid- medicine levels. Dr. Crawford is a board-certified
on pregnant women. She adds that ney excrete waste.” Obstetrician and Gynecologist, and
the newer anti-epileptic drugs have We asked Dr. Crawford if women is currently accepting new patients.
a better safety profile, with fewer  Make sure you are taking prena- with epilepsy should avoid taking IRMC’s Partners in Women’s Health
side effects. tal vitamins. And don’t forget folic any anti-seizure medications during office is located at 1050 37thPlace,
acid! Dr. Crawford says “every woman pregnancy. She says, “If a woman has Suite 101, in Vero Beach. The phone
Indeed, in a report published on- should take folic acid, as it’s designed a seizure while pregnant, it can cause number is 772-790-6116. 
line in the journal Neurology, the to prevent birth defects of the brain damage or death to the baby. We fol-
British researchers concluded there
is no link between cognitive abilities
in school-age children and two spe-
cific epileptic drugs taken in preg-
nancy – levetiracetam (brand name
Keppra) and topiramate (Topamax)
– this as compared to children born
to mothers who are not taking any
anti-epileptic drugs.

Concerns remain, however, about
valproate (Depacon), an “older”
anti-epileptic drug approved by the
FDA in 1996. The team from Eng-
land found kids exposed to increas-
ing doses of valproate in utero had
significantly lower performance on
cognitive ability testing than those
exposed to similar doses of leveti-
racetam or topiramate.

The researchers found that as the
children reached middle-school
age, their exposure while in utero
to levetiracetam and topiramate did
not negatively impact IQ, verbal or
nonverbal abilities, or “processing
speed,” defined as the pace at which
kids take in information, make sense
of it, and begin to respond. In con-
trast, prenatal exposure to increas-
ing levels of valproate did have a
negative effect on those cognitive
measurements.

Rebecca Bromley, Ph.D., a mem-
ber of the Royal Manchester team,
says that a better understanding of
the use of anti-epileptic drugs in
pregnancy and the child’s subse-
quent neurodevelopment requires
additional research. She says “we
need more data to comprehensively
understand any potential effects
these medications may have on fetal
development.”

While it’s natural for women with
epilepsy to worry during pregnancy,
the overwhelming majority have
healthy babies. Here are some gen-
eral points about pregnancy and
epilepsy, courtesy of the Epilepsy
Foundation:

 Planned pregnancies are best for
women with epilepsy. This gives you
time to work with your neurology
and obstetrical teams in advance
of conception, including a review of
your seizure medications. It’s impor-

50 Vero Beach 32963 / November 24, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Take heart! TAVR procedure now on Treasure Coast

BY TOM LLOYD Dr. Prasad Chalasani. prove a patient’s recovery time. hour open operation, this procedure
Staff Writer Chalasani believes TAVR procedures takes about 40 minutes.” Plus, patients
causes the heart to work harder to pump tend to be up and walking far sooner
Some 500,000 Americans are diag- enough blood and can cause fainting, “will totally replace” the more tradi- after a TAVR procedure than after open
nosed with heart valve disease each chest pain, heart failure, irregular heart tional surgical approach “in 95 percent heart surgery.
year. For those among that group who rhythms or arrhythmias, cardiac arrest of cases.”
live on the Treasure Coast, Dr. Prasad or death.” The TVAR approach delivers a fully
Chalasani and Debbie Mueller, director The procedure isn’t rocket science, of collapsible tissue replacement valve
of cardiovascular services at the Heart Prior to the development of the TAVR course – it is actually more complicated – usually from a cow or a pig – to the
Institute of the Lawnwood Regional procedure, valve replacements required than that. So it is not surprising that valve site through a catheter. Once the
Medical Center in Fort Pierce, have an open-heart surgical procedure called gaining accreditation to do the opera- new valve is expanded, it pushes the old
some very good news. a “sternotomy” in which the chest is tion is an arduous and time-consuming valve leaflets out of the way and takes
splayed open to expose the heart. The process. “A successful TAVR procedure over the job of regulating blood flow.
TAVR has come to the Treasure Coast. TAVR procedure, however, is done by requires a merging of widely different
TAVR – or trans-catheter aortic valve running catheters – usually through skills, including personnel experienced Originally approved solely for patients
replacement – is, according to the Amer- the femoral artery in the groin – up to with guide-wire skills and fluoroscopic deemed at “high” or even “extreme” risk
ican Heart Association, “a minimally the heart muscle with no incision in the imaging as well as vast knowledge of for open heart surgery, in August of this
invasive surgical procedure which re- chest at all. This helps dramatically im- open vascular approaches, cardiac year the FDA approved TAVR proce-
pairs the valve without removing the structures and aortic root anatomy,” dures for patients with aortic valve ste-
old, damaged valve,” a process that is according to the National Institutes of nosis who are at “intermediate” risk of
much less traumatic than old-fashioned Health. death or complications associated with
surgery that required cutting open the open-heart surgery.
chest. “We started preforming TVAR proce-
Heart valve damage, largely a func- dures sometime in April of this year and Chalasani expects the procedure will
tion of aging, can occur in any single we have done 20 so far,” Chalasani says. be open to all in the very near future.
valve or in any combination of all four “All 20 of them are doing quite well.” He
heart valves. Aortic stenosis is by far says that, worldwide, the rate of compli- Dr. Prasad Chalasani’s offices are at
the common cause. “Aortic valve ste- cations due to TAVR procedures is an 1900 Nebraska Avenue, Suite 9 in Ft.
nosis (narrowing of the aortic valve) astonishingly low 2 percent. Pierce. The phone number is 772-465-
4499. Debbie Mueller’s office is at 1700
That’s likely because while a tradi- South 23rd Street in Ft. Pierce and the
tional sternotomy “is a three-to-four- phone number is 772-468-4543. 