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Published by Vero Beach 32963 Media, 2017-04-28 13:51:09

04/27/2017 ISSUE 17

VB32963_ISSUE17_042717_OPT

Sandy Lane enclave shaping up
as big success. P9
Heaton trial set

for next February. P8
Mardy Fish Foundation hopes
to host a celebrity golf tourney. P10

No suspects yet No public bids
in brazen island sought for $1M
condo burglaries school contract

BY LISA ZAHNER BY KATHLEEN SLOAN
Staff Writer Staff Writer

Vero police are still sift- The Indian River County
ing through clues in hopes of
catching the burglar or burglars School District is not soliciting
who broke into four beachside
condominiums, entering bed- open public bids for health in-
rooms while the residents slept
and stealing phones, wallets, surance services worth about
checkbooks, credit cards, cash
and other valuables. $1.2 million. Instead, the dis-

Lt. John Pedersen, who trict had its insurance consul-
heads up Vero’s detective divi-
sion, said Monday, “We have tant, Aon Hewitt, write a “re-
had no similar burglaries [be-
fore these]. We currently do quest for proposals” and hand

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 pick which companies would

Church vandalism be allowed to pitch their ser-
mystery deepens
vices to the district.
BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA
Staff Writer Aon Hewitt will be paid
Chief assistant state attorney Tom Bakkedahl, who prosecuted accused murderer Henry Lee Jones, in the courtroom during 2014. commissions from the insur-
It was a strange and shock- Prosecutor: Reversal of murder conviction ‘inconceivable’
ing event for the island when ance company that is chosen,
valuable stained glass win- making its involvement in the
dows at Christ by the Sea Meth-
odist Church were smashed in selection process dubious, al-
three separate incidents dur-
ing Holy Week by an unknown BY LISA ZAHNER prosecutors and police who when he returned to the though the School Board the-
person or persons. Staff Writer worked the case, but they say Fiddlewood Drive home he oretically will make the final

Now, the mystery sur- they’re ready to try Henry Lee shared with his wife and chil- decision about who is hired.
rounding the vandalism has
deepened, with conflict- The reversal of a 2014 con- Jones again for the November dren. After a struggle, Simp- The School Board, however,
ing accounts about whether
someone has been appre- viction in the shooting death of 2011 killing. son was shot through the door was not even aware that Aon
hended for the crimes.
41-year-old Central Beach res- In 2011, Simpson encoun- of the bathroom where the Hewitt had issued a “Request
During a phone interview
last week with Vero Beach ident Brian Simpson shocked tered a burglary in progress CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Crashes, near misses prompt push to
close section of Jungle Trail to cars

Matt and Maggie Lechowicz bicycle along historic Jungle Trail. PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD BY DEBBIE CARSON less near misses between
Staff Writer vehicles and people walk-
ing or riding bikes, island
The days of joyriding along resident Matt Lechowicz
the northern section of the has crafted a petition to the
Jungle Trail could soon be County Commission ask-
over. ing it to shut down the 3
1/4-mile portion of the trail
Following a fatal crash last
year on the trail and count- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

April 27, 2017 Volume 10, Issue 17 Newsstand Price $1.00 A big night for
foodies at 2017
News 1-10 Faith 67 Pets 66 TO ADVERTISE CALL Taste of Vero. P16
Arts 33-36 Games 47-49 Real Estate 69-80 772-559-4187
Books 46 Health 51-55 St Ed’s 56
Dining 60 Insight 37-50 Style 57-59 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 44 People 11-32 Wine 61 CALL 772-226-7925

© 2017 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Bids for school contract $50.50 for each member-employee district website. Normally, RFPs for companies that service 2 million peo-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 per month for this service, for a total services and products over $50,000 are ple or more are allowed to compete, he
of about $1.2 million a year. publicly advertised. said.
for Proposals” on the district’s behalf
until Homestead Insurance agent Bob The school district has renewed its How Aon chose companies allowed “You are only shopping giant car-
Galbraith came to the last board meet- contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield to bid is a mystery. School district pub- riers, which might be part of the
ing to complain about the selection every three years since 2002. Now, it lic information officer Flynn Fidgeon problem in getting costs down,” said
process. has put the contract out for bid. would not answer questions or send a Galbraith, referring to the district’s $7
copy of the RFP to Vero Beach 32963. million deficit in the self-insured in-
What the school district is look- Galbraith said he had been trying “The RFP is an Aon document,” Fidg- surance fund at the end of last school
ing for is a third-party administrator for months to pitch his company’s eon said. “The district is not the custo- year.
to process claims for those covered services. “I had trouble finding out dian of that document.”
by its health self-insurance fund. The about the competitive bid process,” Galbraith asked Assistant Superin-
last time the service was bid in 2002, Galbraith said. Aon did not return calls for informa- tendent William Fritz, the school dis-
Blue Cross Blue Shield was hired. Cur- tion. trict’s risk manager, why only big com-
rently Blue Cross Blue Shield charges The bid process for the million-dol- panies were being allowed to compete
lar-plus contract was not publicly ad- “My company is not allowed to sub- for district business.
vertised in a local paper, and it’s not on mit a proposal,” Galbraith told board
the procurement page on the school members after seeing the RFP. Only “He said he wanted to make sure
retired teachers would have a service
provider in every state. I said that’s
what should be in the RFP,” Galbraith
said. “We don’t have 2 million ‘lives,’
but we do have service providers in
every state. We represent 20 school
districts in New York. We know how to
do the hand-holding to keep district
costs down.”

“This process reeks,” Galbraith told
the School Board. “But it’s not your
fault, you weren’t aware of it.”

In an effort to clean up the pro-
cess, School Board Member Laura
Zorc has made sure Galbraith can
bid. She is also forming a commit-
tee to review the proposals. It will
include school employees on the
health insurance advisory board.
Their recommendations will then
come before the board.

Zorc said the district’s contract with
Blue Cross Blue Shield doesn’t expire
until 2018, so the evaluation process
will not be rushed.

Zorc sidestepped the question
whether Aon’s RFP should have been
advertised. “The medical is being di-
rectly negotiated with several compa-
nies by Aon,” she said, paraphrasing
the school board policy of allowing
public-bid exemptions for insurance
services. 

Jungle Trail

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

north of route 510 – allowing only
non-motorized traffic on the sand
and shell road.

The idea has garnered interest
from County Commission Chairman
Joe Flescher and Metropolitan Plan-
ning Organization Director Phil Mat-
son.

“I do have some concerns about
leaving [Jungle Trail] as it is,” Flescher
said, adding that he would support
closing the historic road to traffic to
improve safety only if emergency re-
sponders would still have unfettered
access.

Matson said he has not yet reviewed
Lechowicz’s plan in detail, but is “cer-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 3

NEWS

tainly in favor of anything that will im- Along its route stand the remains of scenic for pedestrians but challenging Lechowicz plans to present his pro-
prove Jungle Trail.” the Ais Indian middens, pioneer settle- for motorists. posal to the Metropolitan Planning
ments, and a mixture of upland scrub, Organization in October, after season-
“No one really sees a need for ve- mangrove marsh, oak hammock and “It's clearly not a safe place to be al residents begin returning to Vero.
hicular traffic,” Lechowicz told Vero remnants of the citrus groves that [walking or biking],” Lechowicz said. If the MPO signs off on the plan, he
Beach 32963. once covered much of the island. hopes it will be passed on the Board of
“I'm in favor of preserving the natu- County Commissioners for approval.
Posted online, Lechowicz’s peti- When Orchid Island Golf and Beach ral beauty” of Jungle Trail, Flescher
tion has generated dozens of com- Club was built, the northern portion said, explaining that the trail was one Information about the proposal
ments in support of closing the road of Jungle Trail was realigned, creating of his first experiences when he moved can be found at www.change.org by
to cars and trucks, which include several sharp turns that make the trail his family to Indian River County two searching “Jungle Trail.” 
complaints about speeding, illegal decades ago.
trash dumping and constant degra-
dation of the road. Exclusively John’s Island

“Nearly killed while walking my dog Beautifully composed in ambience and soothing color schemes, this
a few times,” wrote one commenter impeccable 4BR/5.5BA lakefront home provides a peaceful retreat from
identified as Chris Avery ofVero Beach. life’s demands. Sited on .55± acres along a private street, enjoy sweeping
pool and Indian Lake views. The expansive lanai allows an abundance of
Tom Bianchi wrote, “There is con- natural light throughout this 4,837± GSF residence. Features include an
stant abuse by motorists, especially island kitchen with custom cabinetry, luxurious master suite with large walk-in
on the curves where they want to shower, new roof, custom built-ins, updated laundry room and 2-car garage.
practice their sliding skills. Someone 761 Shady Lake Lane : $1,875,000
is going to get killed!!!”
three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
That's what happened in February health & fitness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equity membership
2016. An SUV speeding along Jungle
Trail didn't make it around one of the 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
many curves and struck a tree, send-
ing all three people to the hospital in
critical condition. One of the passen-
gers ultimately died of his injuries.

The Indian River County Sheriff's
Office has responded to at least nine
calls for service along Jungle Trail
since this time last year, according
to records obtained by Vero Beach
32963. Most of the calls were at the
intersection of Jungle Trail and route
510, where there was another serous
accident with injuries last Friday.

Matson and others have tried in the
past to come up with ways to improve
pedestrian safety along the north por-
tion of Jungle Trail, but no plan has
gotten enough community support
to proceed. Lechowicz hopes people
will rally round his idea for the future
of the scenic and historic stretch of
roadway.

He says closing off Jungle Trail to
vehicles would eliminate much of the
damage that occurs to the soft road-
bed, and allow cyclists and walkers,
as well as equestrians, to navigate the
road without fear of being struck by a
driver who doesn't see them around
one of the many blind turns.

Lechowicz’s plan calls for bollards
to be placed at the entry to Jungle Trail
from route 510, blocking passage of
motorized traffic. The bollards could
be mounted with locks that could be
unlocked to allow authorized vehicles
through, such as emergency respond-
ers and mosquito control.

“It shouldn’t be a hindrance,”
Lechowicz said, explaining that mo-
torists who want to access Pelican Is-
land National Wildlife Refuge or the
kayak launch along Jungle Trail could
still do so from the north, off A1A

Jungle Trail was constructed in 1920
as the first public road on Orchid Is-
land, according to Lechowicz’s re-
search. In 2003, it was placed on the
National Register of Historical Places.

4 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Condo burglaries Ocean Club 1, one of the buildings where condos were burglarized. PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD proximately 1 inch and the screen had
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 been removed.
she was missing her wallet which cept for the victim’s bedroom window
not have any suspects or any vehicle contained $100.00 cash, 2 credit which was left open approximately The screen was located 5 feet away
descriptions. I would as always, urge cards, her driver license, and other 6 inches. As I looked around, I found from the window, leaning against a
all residents citywide to always lock miscellaneous cards.” The victim’s the dining room window was open ap- metal fence.” The resident of the con-
their doors and windows.” day planner was also taken, but it was do told police he was sure the dining
found inside another condo burgled Church vandalism room window had been shut when he
Details of the four cases in the the same night. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 went to bed.
Ocean Club Condominiums, which
are located in the 4400 block of A1A In another of the condos, bur- 32963, Rev. Cliff Melvin, pastor of the Entry points in the four condos –
just north or Jaycee Park, point to a glars apparently opened and crawled 335-member congregation, said the three on the first floor and one on
stealthy and bold thief, with police through a locked window. Police say perpetrator “has been caught and is the second floor – were all different,
finding “gloved hand marks” on slid- this victim “stated all the doors and incarcerated.” He said he shared that including sliding glass doors and win-
ing glass doors and mysterious entry windows were closed and locked, ex- information with his congregation the dows that were said to be locked in
through supposedly locked doors and prior Sunday, telling them, “We will be three of the four condos. The thief or
windows. in prayer for the young man – a minor – thieves likely exited through the front
and for his family. It is a sad experience doors, but unfortunately for inves-
In all four cases, residents only dis- for all of you.” tigators, there were no surveillance
covered they had been victimized cameras scanning the immediate area
when they woke up and found prop- But on Monday, Vero Beach Police to catch them fleeing, according to
erty missing or belongings not where contradicted Melvin’s account. When police reports.
they should be. After the first three asked about the pastor’s statement, and
reports last Tuesday morning, police specifically whether there has been an Indian River Shores Chief Rich
sent out an alert to the area neighbor- arrest, Lt. John Pedersen, head of Vero’s Rosell said the Town has had no bur-
hood watch email list asking residents detective division, said in no uncertain glaries of this sort recently. As a pre-
to check to see if anything was missing terms, “That is not true. When there is caution though, the town and the city
or askew. an arrest, we will let you know.” sent emails to area residents remind-
ing them to be vigilant. 
In one of the burglaries, the victim Another puzzling twist: According
“stated that while she slept, someone to police sources, at one point during Sea did not have exterior security cam-
entered her bedroom and removed the week following the vandalism, the eras prior to the vandalism, but has
her purse. The purse was on the active police investigation was halted since installed them.
floor next to her bed. The contents of while investigators were “waiting to
which, were dumped out on the liv- hear from the church.” No other ex- First public word of the vandalism
ing room couch. Brown stated that planation was given for this hiatus, came on Holy Wednesday, April 12,
and the investigation apparently re- when Melvin posted on the church’s
sumed shortly thereafter. Facebook page: “Feeling sad at Christ by
the Sea. Holy Week just got a little more
The first incident of vandalism oc- difficult. Third act of vandalism in four
curred sometime between April 7 and days. This time six rocks through the
April 9; more of the brilliant-colored beautiful, large stained glass windows
windows were smashed on April 10; in the front of the sanctuary.”
and a third act of vandalism took place
on either the 11th or 12th. With the broken windows shut-
tered, the congregation celebrated
Each of the crimes was reported upon Easter Sunday in relative gloom,
discovery, and, according to Pedersen, without the sunlight that normally
officers responded immediately, with streams through the hand-blown,
stepped-up patrols of the neighborhood jewel-colored glass. An individual who
and an unmarked vehicle that unsuc- was present at the service said shock
cessfully staked out the scene for some and sadness prevailed as word spread
period in between the acts of vandalism. about what had happened.

A church source said Christ by the The windows were designed and
created in the 1990s by world-re-
nowned stained-glass artist, sculptor
and painter, the late Conrad Pickel,
in his Vero Beach Studio. Pickel’s son,
Paul, who helped make the windows,
now carries on his father’s work.

Pickel was contacted by the church
after the vandalism. Windows in the
nave, one on one side of the sanctu-
ary, and the 8-by-10-foot sections in
the church’s boat-bow-like front fac-
ing A1A sustained damage, he said.

Pickel removed the damaged win-
dows and transported them to his
studio where the long, costly process
of restoration will begin as soon as the
church’s insurance company signs off.

“It is heartbreaking,” he said, go-
ing on to explain that the shattered
glass was hand-blown in Germany and
France. Each piece must be cut, col-
ored, fired. Then the sections are pains-















12 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

1 23

IMPACT 100 CAPTIONS

1. Edie Widder, Paul Sexton, Suzanne Bertman, Peggy
Cunningham and Shannon Bowman. 2. Lou Boccabella, Jan
Harrell, Bonnie Wilson and Paul Sexton. 3. Brenda Cetrulo,
Judy Lemoncelli, Peggy Cunningham and Beth Howard.
4. Suzanne Carter, Suzanne Bertman and Brenda Lloyd.
5. Wanda Lincoln, Adam Schnell, Linda Downey and Kathy
Starr. 6. Carolyn Antenen, Andrea Berry, Dr. Glenn Tremml
and Barbara DiMarzo. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

4 5 6 PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Lasting ‘Impact’: Four more score $100,000 grants

BY MARY SCHENKEL tinued support of the Indian River tion,” said Cunningham. Graphic Design Center is that we will
Community Foundation and the Mc- The grant provided to Childcare produce revenue based on this new
Staff Writer Cabe Foundation, the Supervisor of business line. We are dealing with
Elections and CPAs for their voting Resources will fund a Credentialing kids that are very tech savvy; they
The Alzheimer & Parkinson Asso- assistance, and the army of volunteers Program for Early Educators. Shan- don’t want to get a job flipping burg-
ciation of Indian River County, Child- who serve on the Impact board and non Bowman, CCR executive direc- ers.”
care Resources of Indian River, Hibis- committees. tor, noted that 85 percent of brain
cus Children’s Center and the Ocean development happens by the age of 5. ORCA will collaborate with Indian
Research & Conservation Association Bertman noted that their Visioning “Several decades of research clearly River County students and the Indian
are the latest Impact 100 Commu- Committee has been a particularly demonstrates that high-quality early River Land Trust to restore impaired
nity Partners, each the recipient of a successful one, explaining, “A lot of education experiences produce posi- areas of the Indian River Lagoon
$100,000 transformational grant at people can’t come up with a transfor- tive effects on cognitive and social through its Living Lagoon Project.
the ninth annual Impact 100 Annual mational idea. So we are willing to go development in children,” said Bow- Utilizing previous Impact 100 fund-
Meeting, held last Wednesday after- out and talk with them and help them man. ing, ORCA created pollution maps,
noon at the Oak Harbor Club. understand what this means; to help which indicate that the water is clean-
them think outside the box.” Despite that knowledge, the state er along shorelines with a natural gra-
The Impact 100 mission is simple has set the bar low for training of early dient of natural plants; they actually
yet powerful: “We are women who Peggy Cunningham, Alzheimer and educators. CPEE will provide more clean the water as it runs off the land.
collectively impact the lives of indi- Parkinson executive director, was the than 120 hours of high-quality train-
viduals and our community through first presenter, making a successful ing to more than 36 early educators “The students will grow the plants,
transformational grants.” Since its in- case for a Dementia Friendly Com- throughout the county, leading to im- and they will plant them along the
ception, members have pooled their munity Initiative. The grant will fund proved learning environments and a shoreline, under our direction, in ar-
annual $1,000 membership dues and, a mobile unit to take Virtual Demen- greater number of children prepared eas of impaired waterfront property
with last week’s disbursement, have tia training to businesses, churches, for kindergarten and brighter futures. that the Land Trust owns and has
awarded more than $3.3 million in retail stores and restaurants, law en- designated as in need of help,” said
grants. Because 100 percent of mem- forcement and others who interact The Hibiscus Children’s Center Edie Widder, ORCA CEO/senior sci-
bership dues is granted, this year’s with the public. Cunningham said grant will help fund its Healing Chil- entist, adding that they will also cre-
three runners-up, Ballet Vero Beach, roughly 6,000 residents, a number ex- dren Through Careers Graphic De- ate before and after pollution maps.
Indian River County Healthy Start pected to double in a decade, are liv- sign Impact Center, an on-site career “To provide that information will be a
Coalition, and Tykes and Teens, were ing with dementia; 80 percent living development initiative for youth at stepping stone to get other communi-
each presented with $13,000 grants. actively in the community. the HCC Village in Vero Beach. “Our ties involved in doing just this same
children are often told their lives don’t kind of thing.”
Roughly half the 439 members had So that they may better interact matter, and if they’re lucky they may
already voted by absentee ballot. The with individuals with dementia re- get a blue-collar minimum wage type The three runners-up were Ballet
remainder came to hear brief, heart- lated disorders, Virtual Dementia of job,” said Paul Sexton, HCC presi- Vero Beach, which sought funding
felt presentations from each of the training enables participants to ex- dent/CEO. for long-term scenery and costumes
seven finalists, who had previously perience its effects. Wearing special for its production of “Nutcracker on
been vetted through an extensive equipment to distort their abilities, The program will prepare teens the Indian River”; Indian River Coun-
grant committee review process. participants are asked to do five sim- for competitive technical and white- ty Healthy Start Coalition, to fund
ple household tasks. “This has a pow- collar jobs in the graphic design and a Community Doula Program; and
Prior to the finalists making their erful impact and it prepares them for print industry, and will enable viable Tykes and Teens toward an Infant
presentations, outgoing board presi- comprehensive training that is cus- employment at HCC for youth who Mental Health program in Indian Riv-
dent Suzanne Bertman recognized tomized to the business or organiza- age-out of the system at age 18. Addi- er County. 
sponsor Wilmington Trust, the con- tionally, Sexton said, “The value of the



14 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

7 PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 89

10 11

12 13
IMPACT 100 CAPTIONS

7. Shannon Bowman, Mary Jo Thompson, Katy Block Faires and Marty Evans. 8. Jane Coyle, Edie Widder,
Ken Gruden and Ros Cline. 9. Suzi Locke, Paula Hundt, Jeff Shearer and Karen Mersky. 10. Lois Appleby,
Carol Fennell, Alma Lee Loy, Mary Graves, Ann Hamner and Maya Peterson. 11. Laurie Carney, Laura
McDermott and Joanie Kasten. 12. Lori Lazorik, Suzanne Conway and Denise Battaglini. 13. Nancy Lynch,
Ellie McCabe and Carol Kanarek.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 15

PEOPLE

HabiTrot, Realtors get a move on for fundraising

John, Emilia, Hollie, and Jonathan Buldo.

Rylee and Catherine Woodall. Rene Donars, Eve Kyomya, Julia Phillips and Larry Lauffer. Jessica Franco finishes first in the female division.

In a break from tradition for both
groups, Indian River Habitat for
Humanity and the Realtors As-
sociation of Indian River County
joined forces to Raise the Roof
with a combined 5K Run/Walk
last Saturday at South Beach Park.
The day saw the merger of the
10th annual HabiTrot for Higher
Education with the 8th annual
Realtors Earth Day 5K, with funds
raised supporting the Habitat for
Humanity scholarship program.
Winners were Eddie Branigan as
first overall with a time of 18:43.41,
and Jessica Franco led the women
with a time of 21:25.54. 

Nikki McGuinnis stretches before the race. Nancy Aadland, Mark and Barbara Zahourek. Alan and Iris Madison.

Peter and Liza Breslin.

Elysia Brennan and Lynnea Brinkerhoff.

16 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Foodies, local biz consumed with joy at Taste of Vero

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

This year’s Taste of Vero along Ocean Brianna and Katherine Giovannone. Christina Guldenschuh and Chelsea Verna. PHOTOS GORDON RADFORD
Drive gave new meaning to progres-
sive dining, at least for those lucky in town. But there Erin Clinton and Tori Hume. Cathy Cipolla, Diane Keiller and Glendora Morris.
enough to nab a ticket to the annu- are always people who
al event, hosted by the Oceanside don’t know who you are so run for his money; and The Wave at Vero Beach, compared the event to
Business Association. Foodies ate it’s nice to get some exposure.” Costa d’Este partnered their coconut Atlanta’s Taste of Alpharetta. “This
their way from Dahlia to Beach- Everything from calamari and tacos seafood ceviche with an infused mo- is so nice and very well organized. In
land Boulevard while taking a to picnic fare and barbecue was on the jito water. Atlanta it was so crowded and crazy,
bite out of the Vero Beach res- menu. Tasters debated favorites while you couldn’t get near any food, so we
taurant scene. Restaurants had awaiting their next gastronomic good- For those with a sweet tooth, blue- just stopped going.”
partnered with local business ie, enjoying music from bands playing berry bread pudding, biscotti, Key
sponsors – the perfect pairing along the food route, catching up with lime mousse, guava flan, Key lime pie As the sun went down and bellies
of food and business. old friends and making new ones. and orange ice cream were the perfect were full, Anna Groves and Ali Mar-
Baci Trattoria’s Karen Scott-Fulchi- complements to an evening of good tello were among those recalling one
“Tickets sold out in less ni pulled from her artistic background food and fun. delicious meal after another. Groves
than two days again this to create picnic basket-styled boxed summed the evening up saying,
year,” said Georgia Irish, OBA lunches with mini Italian sandwiches Paige Rhymes and Kirsten Kowalski “There was nothing bad here tonight.
president. “It’s a beautiful and pasta salad. both attended for the first time. “We Vero Beach knows how to do it right.”
night and everybody and their “We’ve done this every year since hit the seafood first to warm up our
brother came out to enjoy the eve- we opened,” shared Scott-Fulchini. palettes and had some wine too,” said Event proceeds help fund the free
ning.” “We want people to know about the Rhymes as she tried the fish dip from OBA concert series and Christmas
restaurants on 14th Avenue. It’s such Rhonda’s Seafood. parade and promote shopping and
The Indian River Healthy Start Co- a cute, quirky little area and we all get tourism. 
alition was this year’s featured non- along so well.” Kowalski, a relative newcomer to
profit, retaining 100 percent of the Several restaurants served spe-
proceeds from beverage sales to fur- cialty cocktails to accompany their
ther their mission to develop and sup- creations. Blue Agave gave patrons a
port a local system of care to optimize kick with their Mezcal moonshine;
the health of local mothers, babies Cobalt’s lavender Collins gave Tom a
and their families.

“This is one of the benchmark Vero
Beach Ocean Drive events,” said Buzz
MacWilliam, of Alex MacWilliam Real
Estate, who partnered with Amalfi
Grill. “It’s a great community event.
Vero Beach is a great town, and it’s
events like this that bring the resi-
dents together to have a little bit of fun
and camaraderie.”

As Amalfi Grille owner Bob Rose
plated his mushroom ravioli with sau-
sage cream sauce, he added, “It’s great
camaraderie for our two companies
to work together. A lot of people have
already chosen where they are going
to eat, and they know the restaurants

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was very accommodating, making
the transition a relatively easy one.

Forty-seven teams turned out for
the overnight affair, camping out
from Friday evening into the wee
hours of Saturday morning, with
the goal of keeping at least one team
member on the track at all times. The
Relay began with an inspirational
Survivor and Caregiver Lap and, af-
ter the sun went down, an emotional
Luminaria Ceremony honored loved
ones.

Entertainment and games
throughout the night kept spirits and
energy levels up, and a wide variety
of foodstuffs kept bellies full while
at the same time increasing team
fundraising efforts. Organizers ex-
pected to raise more than $100,000
through the event, for which Piper
was the presenting sponsor. The top
fundraiser, already at $25,500 head-
ing into the night, was The Village
People, whose 68 team members live
at Village Green.

“By walking this track you are join-
ing forces with millions of people
worldwide who want to save lives,”
said event chair Nicole Noll. “Every
dollar raised and every volunteer
hour puts us steps close to finding a
cure. We can make a difference.”

Dr. James Grichnik, director of the
Scully-Welsh Cancer Center at In-
dian River Medical Center, said that
while nationally cancer is the sec-
ond leading cause of death, it is the
No. 1 cause of death in Indian River
County.

Cancer survivor Michael Hyde
shared that he first heard the words
“you have cancer” just one year ago.
“This is my 21st relay but my first as a
survivor,” said Hyde. “Until you hear
the words, it really doesn’t sink in. I
realized how much I really did not
know about cancer.”

Hyde related that he was glad to
have learned from ACS Relays about
the importance of early detection and
speaking out when something feels
wrong. In his case, the lump he no-
ticed while shaving turned out to be
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. About six
months into that treatment, his on-
cologist discovered he had stage one
kidney cancer, which had been com-
pletely asymptomatic. As a result of
early detection and the skilled treat-
ment he received at Scully-Welsh, his
cancer is now in remission.

An overall spirit of optimism at
the event was spurred on by the ur-
gent need to raise money for can-
cer research and an awareness of
cancer prevention, detection and
education. An estimated 1.6 million
people are expected to be newly di-
agnosed with cancer this year, with
close to 600,000 losing their struggle
with the disease. 

22 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

CASTLE’s Memory Field honors victims of child abuse

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

Driving past Riverview Park in Se- Rhonda Blakey and Mayor Bob McPartlan. PHOTOS GORDON RADFORD Jaimie Hans and Tiffany Rusinko.
bastian it’s hard to miss the field of
blue and white flags billowing in the dedicated to the eradication of child
breeze. It makes a beautiful picture abuse, and as he helped place a flag
until you realize that each of the 101 last Wednesday, he was approached
flags represents a child that died in by a city employee who was dumb-
Florida in 2016 as the result of child founded to discover that the flag rep-
abuse. resented a “real child” that had died.

A somber crowd gathered last For 36 years CASTLE has remained
Thursday evening for a dedication focused on preventing child abuse
ceremony honoring those children through education and awareness,
whose lives were senselessly cut short. and Anastasia Legakes, CASTLE di-
For more than 10 years, CASTLE has
erected a Memory Field, taking it to
sites throughout the Treasure Coast.

Local law enforcement, commu-
nity leaders, abuse survivors and
children’s advocates walked about
the flags, pausing to read each child’s
name and age. The youngest was
1-month-old Chloe who, like the oth-
ers, will never have the chance to play
with dolls, ride a bike or dress up for
a prom.

Sebastian Mayor Bob McPartlan is

rector of operations said the Memory Bagpiper Michael Hyde.
Field serves as a reminder that help is
available. with as he had done the same thing
with her and other people in the fam-
“We at CASTLE strongly believe that ily,” said Rusinko. “But my mother’s
child abuse is preventable. We believe drug addiction took over her maternal
that parents don’t wake up one day instincts.”
and decide to be bad parents. CAS-
TLE’s job is to educate parents in pro- As she shared one horrifying experi-
viding nurturing, loving and support- ence after another, many in the crowd
ive environments for their children,” were visibly moved by her story, even
said Legakes. the members of Bikers Against Child
Abuse (B.A.C.A.), whose vulnerable
Tiffany Rusinko, now a supervisor side showed through their outwardly
for CASTLE’s Safe Families Program, tough appearance.
shared her own story of what life was
like growing up in an abusive home. “Looking back,” said Rusinko, “there
could have been a memory flag with
“I’m a strong adult but once I was a my name on it. Although I survived
very broken little girl,” she began, re- a childhood without CASTLE, why
lating through tears that she had been would we allow any child to go through
born to a drug-addicted mother who what I went through?”
had neither the patience nor the skills
to care for a newborn. “For the last several weeks CASTLE
has memorialized children who tragi-
“My parents would put me in a cally lost their lives last year at the
drawer and close it while they got high hands of child abuse,” said Marilyn
and my father had to stop my mom Wallach, board member. “There should
from beating me when I cried,” she not even be one. Our goal is to not have
said. any flags anymore. We ask that every-
one in the community take a stand to
“My mother left me with a known help stop the cycle of abuse.” 
pedophile, my grandfather. He would
drug my formula and cereal with Va-
lium and wait until I fell asleep. My
mother knew who she was leaving me

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 23

PEOPLE

John Waitner, Debbie Fitzpatrick, Leigh Swanson and Michael Natale. Tiffany Rusinko wipes away a tear during her speech.

Anastasia Legakes and Katie Kowanic.

Alicia Reyes and Dr. Lillian Torres Martinez.

Zachary Gibson and Billie Austin.

Marilyn Wallach.

24 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

The floor is (still) yours! Willem dances his way to 100

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

“The secret to longevity is danc- Alicia Callander and Gene Willem. Mariangela Risso and Laurence Farley.
ing,” said centenarian Gene Willem
at a 100th birthday party in his honor PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE
last Friday at the Big Band Dance at
the Vero Beach Community Center.

Willem said he has been cutting a
rug since he was 7 years old. “When
the radio would play music, my aunt
would grab ahold of me, and we’d
dance. I was a square dancer for over
50 years. That’s how I met all three of
my wives,” he shared.

Willem only leaves the dance floor
when the Accidentals Band takes
a break, explaining that he is con-
cerned about leaving his lady friend,
Alicia Callander, for too long, lest
she finds another dance partner.

The Accidentals Band plays at the
thrice-weekly dances at the Com-
munity Center hosted by the City of
Vero Beach Recreation Department.

“He still dances about three days a
week, and he loves to teach the new-
bies,” said Lorely Ridge, president

Chuck and Agnes Allshouse.

Eileen Reig with Bob and Wini Mercure.

of the USA Dance Board Vero Beach Barbara Cunningham, Victor Diez and Aida Goldsmith.
Chapter, which hosts monthly danc-
es the third Thursday of the month vised Willem.
at the Heritage Center. “Until a few “He doesn’t take any medicine,”
years ago Gene would attend the
monthly dances at the Heritage Cen- said friend Mariangela Risso. “He’s an
ter, too.” inspiration for people that are old.”

Willem said that hitting the cen- “The only things Gene complains
tury mark is pretty common in his about are his hearing aids,” added
family, commenting, “My mother Laurence Farley.
was 102 and in good shape when she
died.” “First you have to get to 99; then just
live one day at a time. Oh, and keep
“We all hope we reach that age in dancing,” said Willem as the band
good health,” said his 94-year-old began to play and he headed off in
brother Bill, who organized the par- search of his dance partner.
ty.
Want to give it a whirl? The danc-
Born in Philadelphia on April 23, es, $2 per person, are held Tuesday,
1917, Willem was a successful tool Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m.
and die maker before he retired at to 11 a.m. at the Vero Beach Commu-
age 62. He moved to Vero Beach a nity Center. 
few years later after honeymooning
here with his third wife.

“I’ve been very fortunate. I think
living a healthy lifestyle, going out
with younger women and having a
little bit of luck is how you do it,” ad-



26 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Passion for Arc’s mission runs high at ‘Sneakers’ party

BY MARY SCHENKEL Guests relished the chance to don icating his talk to the late Dick Pip-
Staff Writer comfy footwear and, with showy pert, who he said joined him on stage
sneakers the name of the game, the last year and this year in spirit. One of
The weather was gorgeous and the variety of colorful tennies was im- a set of triplets, Justin was born with
venue spectacular as supporters of pressive, including the sparkly gold Down syndrome and pulmonary hy-
The Arc of Indian River County gath- sneakers of Mary Ellen Replogle, pertension and wasn’t expected to
ered at Rock City Gardens last Thurs- who founded the local organiza- live more than a year, but kept defy-
day evening for the third annual tion in 1975. Brenda Bradley went ing the odds.
Starlight and Sneakers Garden Party all-out creative with mouse sneak-
to make a difference in the lives of in- ers, complete with ears and a tail “I have had to fight and struggle
dividuals with special needs. and googly pompom eyes with lus- my whole life to overcome obsta-
cles, and now I will begin the big-
Ellie and Bob McCabe. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE gest struggle of my life,” said Isaac.
“Just to live my dream I am going to
Vero’s Lifestyle Store cious lashes. Explaining the puffs have to beat the odds again, because
of cotton surrounding the sneakers our society doesn’t value me. People
END OF SEASON she and husband Walter wore, Lalita look at me and see a disability, not
Janke laughed, “He’s just walking on abilities. Just because I look different
SALE clouds; I’m on cloud nine.” and speak differently, a little slower,
doesn’t mean that I don’t have hope
SAVINGS The relaxed crowd enjoyed cock- and dreams. We are all human beings
tails on the grass and walkways over- who deserve a chance to lead mean-
UP TO 60% OFF looking one of Rock City’s stunning ingful lives.”
IN BOTH STORES ponds and music by the fabulous
Gypsy Lane Band before dining un- Before the Paddle Raise, he stressed
der a tent on a delicious buffet ca- how grateful they are for the contri-
tered by Elizabeth Kennedy. butions which enable their dreams to
come true, adding, “So please give with
“It’s so wonderful; they have so your heart so that The Arc can continue
many great classes,” said Marie Berg, to help those with special needs to lead
commenting on The Arc’s wide vari- meaningful lives with independence,
ety of programs and classes. Berg said employment, love, friendship and dig-
her daughter Christy, a client at The nity. Thanks again from the bottom of
Arc, has a job cleaning at one of the our hearts.”
local schools and also receives wages
working on the oyster mat project to Executive Director Chuck Bradley
restore the lagoon. noted that their agency has experi-
enced a 50 percent cut in state funding
Christy was also a member of The over the past few years, adding “ev-
Arc Chorus, which gave a rousing ery year, our agency has to raise over
performance, singing a spirited ren- $200,000 just to keep the doors open.”
dition of “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine
In” and “Good Day Sunshine,” cho- The Arc provides programs and ser-
reographed with enthusiastic hand vices to roughly 200 special-needs in-
gestures, air guitars and sign lan- dividuals affected by intellectual, de-
guage. velopmental, emotional or traumatic
brain disabilities, including super-
Justin Isaac, an advocate for The vised residential group homes, adult
Arc and a student at University of day training, behavioral services, sup-
Central Florida, spoke movingly ported employment, supported living,
about his remarkable young life, ded- transportation and youth outreach. 

Begins Thursday, April 27th

1882 Old Dixie Highway
772.770.6420

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2900 Ocean Drive
772.231.2901

www.loggiahomeandgarden.com

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 27

PEOPLE

1 23

45 6 PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 8
STARLIGHT AND SNEAKERS CAPTIONS
Come in and let us create a masterful blend of function
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Brenda Bradley. 5. Lisa and Bob Montuoro. 6. Nancy Young
Established 18 Years in Indian River County with Warren and Virginia Schwerin. 7. Bill Hartog and Lois
Conrae with Susan and Ed Smith. 8. Kim and Fred Edelmann
• The Treasure Coast’s most Comprehensive, Professional Showroom with Anne Lanier.
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28 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 9 10 11
12 13
STARLIGHT AND SNEAKERS CAPTIONS

9. Penny Odiorne, Mary Ellen Replogle, Mary Beth Vallar,
Tom and Rhonda Lowe, and Joan Black. 10. Russ, Justin
and Lori Isaac. 11. Cathy and Willie LaCroix with Beverly

Ostler. 12. Linda and Don Drinkard, Pam Harmon,
Barbara Butts, Trude and Don See. 13. Diana
Gabor, Ken Gruden and Ginny Blossom.
14. Dr. Walter and Lalita Janke. 15. Dillon
and Sara Beth Roberts. 16. The Arc Chorus
gets ready to perform at the party.

14 15 16

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 29

PEOPLE

Super Wheels & Keels show ‘transports’ us back in time

Barbara and Rick Kaiser. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Larry and Marg Kiefer with Noreen Davis and Chuck Bradley. Barbara and Vincent DeTurris.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 O’Malley.
Staff Writer Charlie and Chris Pope with Barbara and Gordy Sulcer. Vero Beach resident Juan Prieto

By land or by sea, the seventh annu- and the impact the Wheels and Keels for the more than 700 visitors, who pe- brought his 1949 Jaguar XK 120 Su-
al Wheels & Keels Antique and Exotic Foundation has made on them. rused everything from the Navy SEAL per Sports Roadster out for the day; at
Car and Boat Show at the Moorings Museum’s High Mobility Multipur- 132.9 mph, it was once the fastest pro-
Yacht and Country Club last weekend Proceeds from this year’s show pose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee) to a duction car in the world.
was a big hit with attendees. will benefit The Arc of Indian River 1931 Packard 833 convertible coupe.
County, Vero Beach Rowing, the Navy There was also a 1962 Lotus 7 that
The first hole of the golf course was SEAL Trident House and Youth Sailing Car and boat exhibitors and enthu- had raced in three countries and a
the perfect setting for exhibitors to Foundation of Indian River County. siasts came from all over Florida to get 1962 Austin-Healey 3000 MK that laid
show off rare cars, while the Indian a look at the classic, sport, exotic and claim to movie credits from “Flipper,”
River Lagoon provided a beautiful “We started this way back in 2011 antique cars, boats and luxury yachts “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Bay
backdrop for pristine classic boats and and we had about 30 cars in the park- on display. The event featured more Watch.”
luxury yachts. The event has taken on ing lot. We thought that was the cat’s than 90 American and European cars,
a life of its own, growing rapidly over meow. We’ve taken off, and our orga- roughly 15 trailered classic boats and Collectors were also pleased to dis-
the course of the past seven years. nization is now a foundation. We sup- nearly 10 Huckins Yachts docked at cuss their classic boats, where the
port four really good groups with solid the marina. wood had been polished to a high
“We started with four guys in the programs,” shared George O’Malley, sheen on craft bearing names like Ski-
parking lot,” said Wheels & Keels foundation treasurer. “We have a 1958 Westland, one of daddle, Nauti Boy and Past Fast, giv-
Foundation President Gavin Ruotolo. two in the world, a McLaren, Porsche ing a hint into the personalities of the
“We got the wheels and the keels be- On Saturday spring winds kept the GT3 and a 1928 Model T Ford,” said vessels and their owners. It was a rare
cause we could do cars and boats here rain at bay, offering up ideal weather treat to step aboard several custom
at the Moorings. We’re trying to find Huckins classics; the builder launched
a way to get planes, too. Maybe next its first yacht in 1928.
year.”
To round out the afternoon lunch
The event kicked off with a Friday was served al fresco, Cocktail Class
evening cocktail party, dinner and Boat Racing demonstrations took
auctions at the Moorings Club, where place, and about 30 trophies were
representatives from the show’s four awarded for Best in Class and Excel-
nonprofit beneficiaries gave brief lence.
presentations about their programs
For more information visit WKVero.
com. 



Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 31

PEOPLE

Michelle Miller, Michele and Jim Goetz. PHOTOS GORDON RADFORD Darwin and Catherine Prillamin. Dorothy Kneski.

Scott and Rochelle Morris. Petra and Charles Thomas. Tatiana Dikova and Mark Pieloch.



DIRECTOR RIGHT AT
‘HOME’ HEADING UP
VERO FILM FEST

34 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Director right at ‘home’ heading up Vero Film Fest

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Claudette Roche, only moved be involved careers, Woolnough as a director and
Staff Writer to Vero Beach in October. in the arts,” Roche as an actress.
As soon as the festival he says. “You
In true La La Land style, the sec- founder and executive don’t know Both enjoyed successful careers, but
ond annual Vero Beach Wine and Film director Jerusha Stewart until you meet Woolnough found more and more of his
Festival coming up June 8-11 has been heard the dynamic couple work was elsewhere. Roche had tran-
“leaking” updates since last fall, special was part of the Vero family, them and sitioned from acting to working with
events, wine tastings and trailers giving she cast Woolnough in the dis- actors as a dialect coach and was able
hints of what’s to come. role of festival director. to work from anywhere. When Wool-
Claudette Roche and Jeff Woolnough. nough was heading to Toronto and
Now the festival’s chairs are getting “It’s a dream come true for us to have P HOTOS BY DENISE RITCHIE then on to Ireland to shoot “Vikings,”
attention. With local chef Kitty Wagner someone with matinee-idol looks and the couple decided it was time to find a
as culinary chair, and wine connoisseur movie-making mojo,” says Stewart. “He cover common interests who your new home base.
Rob Wayne named as wine chair, a film is historic in what he’s accomplished in neighbors really are and how accom-
and TV veteran director and newcomer his career.” plished they are professionally.” After spending more than seven
to Vero is heading up the festival itself. months in Europe, they stumbled upon
Like Stewart, who marvels that so Looking at Woolnough’s hundreds Vero Beach while planning a visit with
If you don’t recognize festival chair many “talented people with world- of film and television credits, he Roche’s 91-year-old mother in Palm
Jeff Woolnough’s name, chances are class careers” make their home in Vero, moves from one genre to another, di- Bay. Once here the couple fell in love
you have watched something he has Woolnough has encountered a steady recting everything from police proce- with the place, according to Wool-
directed. His award-winning career stream of interesting people here. durals to documentaries and science nough. “Vero Beach has a nice, laid-
spans nearly 30 years, beginning with fiction to historical drama. Last year back, small-town feel. Traffic is not too
shadowing the famed “Moonstruck” “This is such an incredible place to he directed “Expanse,” set in the 23rd heavy, and the people are friendly.”
producer and director Norman Jewison century, and then did “Vikings,” set in
in Toronto. Since then, Woolnough has the 9th century. Given his new title as festival chair,
directed multiple episodes of “Bones,” it’s ironic that one of the things that re-
“N.C.I.S.,” the Syfy channel’s “The Ex- “In our industry, everybody gets pi- ally impressed them about Vero was the
panse” and the History Channel’s “Vi- geonholed. I’m lucky that I’m able to go cultural diversity. “There’s a lot going
kings,” as well as episodes of “Supernat- across genres in my career,” says Wool- on here for a small town. I don’t think
ural,” “CSI,” “N.C.I.S.,” and many more. nough. “In the course of a year, I’ll go I’ve ever seen a town this size that has
back and forth between genres. I really all that happening,” says Woolnough.
Woolnough and his wife, actress like that because I’m not a person who
just wants to do one thing. I like every- Between projects and when he’s not
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS thing from romantic comedy to horror chairing a film festival, Woolnough and
movies; it all appeals to me.” Roche enjoy taking their dog Emmett
Saturday April 29th from 11AM-8PM • Sunday April 30th from 12PM-5PM to the dog park, golfing, trying out new
IVER FESTIVAL • CELEBRATIN Much like the character Ragnar who restaurants and getting to know the
G THE FLAVORS OF INDIAN R G THE FLAVORS OF INDIAN R leads berserkers west to pillage new people of Vero Beach.
IVER FESTIVAL • CELEBRATIN worlds in “Vikings,” Woolnough’s key
role as a director includes leading the His work has won numerous acco-
Entertainment for the entire family with a fantastic cast and crew to fulfill his vision for the lades including the 2010 and 2013 Out-
Musical line-up, Craft Vendors and more! project by casting, production design, standing Achievement Award from the
location selection and the creative as- Directors Guild of Canada. Woolnough
Serving culinary delights from over 15 of the Treasure Coast’s best eateries, craft beer pects of filmmaking. attended Niagara College in Canada
sampling , wine tastings with wines from all over the world, with cocktail spirits available. with a focus on radio, television and
If you ran into Woolnough on the film. His first job was as an on-air an-
Admission Starting at only $5 beach or chatted with him and Clau- nouncer in a television newsroom. “I
Guests can upgrade and go VIP which Includes Open Bar and dette at last week’s Taste of Vero, you read the farm report on the noon news
unlimited food samples for Only $39 using Promo Code: 32963VIP wouldn’t be able to reconcile the cou- in Ontario. ‘And next up: potatoes,’” he
ple with that of the “typical” Holly- says with a laugh.
A large Kids Zone with many activities and free admission for 12 and under. wood type.
Local Charities to benefit with a portion of the proceeds. When he decided he wanted to di-
“He’s known as an actor’s director,” rect, Woolnough moved to Toronto and
For tickets and more information please visit say Roche. High praise from his wife. An got a job as a coffee boy on a series. “I
theflavorsofindianriver.com established actress in her own right, she started at the bottom,” he warns aspir-
and Like us on Facebook and her husband have had the opportu- ing directors. “The only way to learn to
nity to work together on several shows. direct is to direct. Nobody is going to
hire you based on your word that you
Woolnough and Roche met in To- can direct.”
ronto during the 1983 Toronto Festival
of Festivals (their first film festival to- Woolnough will be returning from
gether). It was a match made in heaven the set of the show “Cause in Fact” for
and forged over a shared love of film. the film festival; he says he had to prom-
He grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario, ise the producers wine from the festival
and she was raised in Montreal. After in exchange for the time off. When not
several years they left their Canadian distracted by the view of the ocean’ he
home for Los Angeles to pursue their is writing a script about his hometown
that, pending financing, will be his first
feature film.

The Vero Beach Wine and Film Festi-
val will be held from June 8-11. Passes for
the festival are available at VBWFF.com.
Spring Sale pricing ends April 30. 













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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39 Fukushima disaster.
TVO admits that negative attitudes
Its two nuclear utilities, TVO and For- Underground at Posiva.
tum, which co-own Posiva, are them- towards nuclear power have risen as
selves part of an electricity system in the construction of its third reactor at
which Finnish industries and many Olkiluoto has been plagued by delays,
municipalities have a stake, bolstering cost overruns and squabbles with the
public support. The Onkalo repository is French-German contractors. The expe-
situated next door to TVO’s two working rience has shown that STUK tolerates
Olkiluoto reactors, which means people no shortcuts, but some fear that its re-
nearby are – in the phrase of academ- lationship with Posiva sometimes ap-
ics – “nuclearized,” that is, convinced of pears too close.
the benefits of nuclear power. Surveys
suggest positive attitudes about nuclear Sweden and France have moved to-
power nationally exceed negative ones. wards licensing repositories with far
more criticism from NGOs and the
Finns’ trust in government as a media, suggesting more robust en-
whole is high. Vesa Lakaniemi, the gagement.
mayor of the 9,300-strong municipal-
ity of Eurajoki in which Olkiluoto lies Other countries, including America
(who once did a summer job at TVO), and France, follow principles of revers-
says it did not take much to persuade ibility or retrievability, meaning they
locals to support the site. Income from can reverse the disposal process while
the nuclear industry gives them slight- it is under way or retrieve waste after
ly lower taxes, good public services and burial, if technologies and social atti-
a restored mansion for the elderly. tudes change.

They trust the waste will be handled Finland’s model is more closed; it
safely and transparently. “It’s Finnish would take a huge amount of digging
design. Finnish rock is solid rock. Regu- to recover the waste once it has been
lation is strict everywhere in the world sealed. But analysts say there is no single
but Finnish people do these things very correct approach. Britain, for instance,
well,” he says. has done things by the book but still
failed to find a place for a repository.
Some academics worry that Finland
is taking waste disposal too much on Finally, there is the matter of cost.
faith. Any mishap could erode trust Finland’s nuclear-waste kitty, collected
in an instant, as happened in Japan, from the utilities, currently stands at
another “high-trust” society, after the $2.7 billion. By the time it is closed, the

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 43

INSIGHT COVER STORY

price is expected to be $3.8 billion. Other countries have higher costs, and ratepayers, none of which has gone to- ties from elsewhere, be they American,
That is reassuringly modest for a 100- less discipline. wards nuclear-waste management. Chinese, Australian, Japanese or Brit-
ish, learn that safeguarding the future
year project, partly reflecting the fact Yucca Mountain, for instance, was It may be hard to replicate Finland’s is not just a question of seismology,
that Finland’s nuclear industry, even once estimated to cost $96 billion to exact model, but its sense of responsi- technology, sociology and cash. It is
when the planned total of five reactors complete. In 2012 America had $27 bil- bility is seen as an inspiration. When also an ethical one. 
are up and running, is relatively small. lion in its disposal fund, collected from visiting the Finnish repository, authori-

44 Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

Political polarization has grown most among older people

THE ECONOMIST 31% of those aged 18 to 29. And yet, older voters are likely to versity and colleagues Ilse Ruyssen
Between 2010 and 2050, the pro- stand in the way of bipartisan fixes to and Samuel Standaert find that as
In the aftermath of the 2016 presiden- the economic problems that an aging populations age, countries are more
tial election, much blame was heaped portion of America’s population that population helps to exacerbate. likely to restrict immigration. They
on social media for fueling partisan ran- is over 65 will increase from 13% to suggest “the voting behavior of the el-
cor. Even Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of 21%. That will leave the whole country For example, older people are derly is driven less by economic con-
Facebook, considered the idea that so- looking like Florida does today. And it among the groups most opposed to siderations – i.e. the (partial) relief
cial media may have enabled the spread will have a dramatic impact on health- health-care reform. It is hardly surpris- immigration might provide to cope
of “fake news” and helped exacerbate care costs, social security spending ing that older voters are also consider- with the burden of an aging popula-
political polarization. and economic performance. ably less likely to think that social se- tion – but rather dominated by other
curity and Medicare spending might motivations or cultural concerns.”
But recent analysis suggests that the Population ageing is linked to lower be too much of a financial burden on
part of the electorate that has become labor productivity and labor force par- younger generations according to Pew This certainly applies in the case of
more polarized is not one commonly ticipation. Nicole Maestas, Kathleen polling. Older people are also opposed America: according to Pew surveys, 76
associated with social media plat- J. Mullen and David Powell, writing to perhaps the most straightforward fix percent of those born after 1980 sug-
forms, but older people. And social for the National Bureau of Economic to aging populations and low growth: gest immigrants strengthen the coun-
media may provide a partial solution. Research, estimate that America’s an- importing young working-age people try compared to 41 percent of those
nual GDP growth will slow by 1.2 per- with comparatively high fertility rates. born between 1928 and 1945.
The authors of the report, Levi Box- centage points this decade and 0.6
ell, Matthew Gentzkow at Stanford percentage points next because of it. Indeed, Glenn Rayp of Ghent Uni- If younger people are to ensure
University and Jesse Shapiro at Brown that the current generation of retirees
University, accept there is strong evi- doesn’t imperil their future, they need
dence of growing polarization in terms increased political clout. And here,
of measures like “straight-ticket” vot- much-vilified social media might pro-
ing: selecting one party’s candidates vide part of the answer. Voter turnout
for every race on the ballot. But they ar- among voters aged under 30 ran as
gue that demographic evidence points much as twenty percentage points be-
away from social media as a cause. low turnout for the over-60 age group.

Social media use is concentrated The internet might help close that
amongst young people – around four gap. Michael Xenos of the University
out of five adults under the age of 40 of Wisconsin-Madison with his col-
used applications like Facebook and leagues Ariadne Vromen and Brian
Twitter in 2012 compared to one in Loader studied social media use
five of those above 65. across Australia, Britain and the Unit-
ed States. In all three countries they
The polarization problem is concen- found that social media use among
trated amongst older voters. For adults young people was associated with
under the age of 40, there is very little greater political engagement.
evidence of growing polarization be-
tween 1996 and 2012 while there is a Perhaps, then, Facebook will need
dramatic increase amongst those 75 to help ensure that America is still
and older. The polarization amongst great when millennials are retiring.
the old has been skewed towards the
right: 55% of voters above the age of 65 These views are those of the authors,
voted for Donald Trump compared to and do not necessarily reflect the views
of Vero Beach 32963. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 27, 2017 45

HOSPITALIST DOCTORS PROVIDE ures and processes, which streamlines care that can lead to
MEDICAL CARE FOR INPATIENTS shorter hospital stays.
• Work with the patient, family, discharge planners, home
A hospitalist is a physician who primarily dedicates his or her prac- health agencies and others to avoid readmission.
tice to the care of the hospitalized patient. While some internists and
family practice physicians (primary care physicians) still treat their pa- • FOR DOCTORS’ OFFICE PATIENTS
tients both in the office (outpatient) and the hospital (inpatient), this Patients whose primary care physician limits his or her practice
traditional model of care is in transition. to the office setting will find their doctor has more time to spend
with them with fewer interruptions. And as America shifts from
Today more and more medical centers use hospitalists exclusively to treating illnesses to promoting wellness, patients will notice their
care for their hospitalized patients. primary care physicians focusing more on preventive health services.

Although this specialty has been around for more than two decades • FOR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS
in the U.S., some patients admitted under the care of the hospitalist Historically, most hospitalized patients in the U.S. were visited
service are surprised when they learn their personal physician will daily by their primary care physician. Hospital staff, specialists,
not be visiting them during their hospitalization. But once they un- and the Emergency Room often needed to call the doctor at the
derstand the concept and see the positive aspects, most are pleased office concerning the patient’s care. Many primary care physicians
with the care they receive. found it increasingly difficult to provide efficient, prompt care simul-
taneously to patients in the office and in the hospital. At the same
ADVANTAGES OF A HOSPITALIST PROGRAM time, with insurance reimbursement for caring for inpatients decli-
ning, many PCPs felt pressure to increase their daily office visit load.
• FOR INPATIENTS
• Are in the hospital 24/7; available at a moment’s notice • FOR HOSPITALS
for a medical crisis. Hospitals face more and more demands to meet quality and
• Are available for family meetings to discuss patient needs.
• Care for chronic medical problems and acute medical illnesses. safety standards established by government regulators. Accor-
• Have test results, medication lists and other pertinent
hospital information at their fingertips. dingly, hospitals must focus on three major priorities: 1. quality of
• Can request and coordinate consults from specialists.
• Can contact the patient’s personal PCP, give updates and care, 2. patient safety, and 3. patient outcomes.
discharge summary, as needed.
• Can admit patients from the ER. One of the greatest advantages of hospitalist care is detailed over-
• Can perform preoperative consults involving orthopedic sight during that episode of hospitalized care. As specialists are called
patients with hip or other fractures, etc. in to evaluate and treat the patient, hospitalists see the big picture
• Can work closely with hospital systems, clinicians, proced- and make adjustments to the patient’s care plan accordingly. 

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

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