07/28/2022 ISSUE 30

COVID-19 up; hospitalizations
down. P10

Vero cuts new
stormwater tax. P14
John’s Island West golf
course 4th best in Florida. P12

For breaking news visit

MY VERO Guess how much
Vero utility bills
BY RAY MCNULTY will be going up

Sheriff resumes affair;
his wife files for divorce

Six months ago, the com-

munity was rocked by our re- BY LISA ZAHNER
port that Sheriff Eric Flowers Staff Writer
had been caught having an ex-

tramarital affair – a story that Vero Beach Utilities water-

stained his Boy Scout image, sewer customers will see their

sickened once-loyal support- monthly utility bill go up when

ers and forced him to endure the city’s new one-rate plan

the humiliation of issuing a takes effect Oct. 1, but they

public apology. won’t be told how much their

That front-page column ex- rates are going to increase un-

posed the hypocrisy of both til the last minute.

his “family values” campaign Vero hired consultants to

in 2020 and the first speech af- perform a rate study that would

ter his swearing-in ceremony, take into consideration not just

where he equated his depu- the cost of operating the water

ties’ oath of office with a mar- treatment plant, sewer plant

riage vow and said he expect- and reuse irrigation water ser-

ed them to reflect his values. Mexican restaurants here are hot, hot, hot! vice, but also the cost of de-
Not only were we left to signing and constructing a new
wastewater treatment plant at
question our sheriff’s charac- the Vero Beach Regional Air-
ter and credibility, but many

of us began to wonder about BY STEPHANIE LABAFF about the chiles rellenos or be a dozen Mexican eateries port.
his judgment and ask: Can he Staff Writer the mole poblano enchiladas. on the mainland to choose That’s not to mention the
be trusted?
After years when Vero among. expense of redirecting sewer

Now we’re told the affair As the local dining scene seemed to have nothing but Whether any of these will pipes to the airport and dis-

didn’t end last winter. heats up in the wake of the Italian restaurants, we are at last bring Mexican fine mantling the existing plant on

Speaking on the condition pandemic, Mexican food is now seeing a surprising surge dining to Vero – or will sim- the Indian River Lagoon, plus

of anonymity – neither the becoming the hottest thing in in Mexican dining spots here. ply be more Tex-Mex places handling any needed environ-

jilted husband of Flowers’ town – and we’re not talking At this rate, there could soon CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 mental cleanup on the sewer

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Mueller Campus president Casey Lunceford retiring – sort of Leatherback sea turtles are enjoying a
banner nesting season on our beaches
BY STEVEN M. THOMAS on boards, consulting, teaching
Staff Writer college music classes and help- BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA of 87 nests by a good margin.
ing local high school bands – Correspondent Indian River County Sea
Indian River State College he may actually be busier than
campus president and trom- ever starting Sept. 1. Turtle Environmental Special-

bonist Casey Lunceford is retir- And he’ll definitely still be Leatherback turtles broke ist Quintin Bergman called

ing at the end of August – sort of. playing the trombone, among an 11-year record this season the statistics “eggs-cellent for

Based on his planned post- Casey Lunceford other instruments. for local nesting, laying 96 leatherback sea turtles.”
retirement activities – serving
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 nests, beating the 2010 tally CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

July 28, 2022 Volume 15, Issue 30 Newsstand Price $1.00 McKee Garden’s
perfect Waterlily
News 1-14 Editorial 34 People 15-27 TO ADVERTISE CALL Celebration. P20
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CALL 772-226-7925

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

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

NEWS

My Vero The jilted husband, however, said much so that he confronted him at the This time, it appears to be Flow-
the sheriff has proven himself unwor- Sheriff’s Office. ers’ wife who has the evidence, which
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 thy of the lofty position he holds in our the husband said proves the affair re-
community. He filed a complaint with The husband said he drove there sumed after news of the scandal broke.
paramour nor his now-estranged wife the Florida Department of Law En- after work, walked into the lobby and
are public figures – we are told the af- forcement in late January, and he said told the attendant at the window that Flowers won a landslide election in
fair was interrupted only briefly by he plans to contact Gov. Ron DeSantis he wanted to speak to Flowers, who 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic
the headlines, and resumed within a in hopes of having Flowers removed eventually agreed to talk to him. prevented the campaigns of his po-
month of the sheriff’s empty apology. from office. litical opponents from getting traction
He said he did “all the talking” dur- and, more importantly, canceled de-
No one should be surprised, then, The husband said his wife admitted ing the 15-minute conversation, call- bates during which his qualifications
that Flowers’ wife, Rachel, filed for di- that she continued to talk to Flowers ing Flowers a “lying, cheating SOB” for the office would’ve received more
vorce two weeks ago. She has hired after the sheriff posted his apology on before leaving. scrutiny.
Maggie McCain, a highly regarded Vero social media in early February, and he
Beach family-law attorney, and claims believes the cheating couple began see- Just so you know: A different source Given that he was only 40 years old,
in her petition that her 10-year marriage ing each other again three weeks later. told us about the husband’s visit to many of us thought Flowers might be
to the sheriff is “irretrievably broken.” Flowers’ office shortly after it happened our sheriff for the next 20 years.
The husband said Flowers pur- last spring, and we filed a public records
Flowers’ wife, who works as a nurse chased untraceable, pre-paid, burner request for the surveillance footage. Indeed, Flowers announced through
at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hos- cell phones – and his wife and the sher- his local media lapdog in April that he
pital, is seeking alimony and child iff both used apps that allow for secret The Sheriff’s Office refused to pro- would seek a second term, believing
support for the couple’s 6-year-old texting – in their efforts to hide their vide the video – or any other documen- he had two years to repair the dent the
son. She’s also asking the court to re- communications from their spouses. tation of the husband’s visit – claiming winter scandal left on his reputation.
store her maiden name. unspecified security concerns, even
“We have three kids, and I wanted to when we amended our request to in- He believes he can overcome the
McCain said her client didn’t want reconcile,” the husband said. “I thought clude only the footage from the pub- political damage done by his bogus in-
to comment “at this time.” we were trying to save our marriage, but licly accessed lobby area. vestigation and groundless demotion
it lasted only a month before it all start- of then-Deputy Chief Milo Thornton,
Court records show that Flowers, 42, ed again.” Clearly, Flowers didn’t want anyone who was suspended in late January af-
is being represented by Kathryn Hill, to know about the confrontation. ter Flowers’ bootlickers in the agency
another local attorney. It was in March that the husband leveled trumped-up allegations at
learned his wife had received from The husband said Flowers’ wife called an all-too-convenient time – as news
Neither the sheriff nor his agency’s Flowers tickets to an April music fes- him two weeks ago to tell him she had of the affair buzzed throughout the
public information staff, however, re- tival on Fort Lauderdale Beach, and he filed for divorce. Last week, he learned county.
sponded to emails seeking comment became upset, saying to her: “You’re that his wife had done the same.
on his wife’s divorce filing and the accepting a gift from a guy you had an He believes he can manage the fall-
circumstances that led to it. A phone affair with?” Flowers’ wife initially learned of the out from his deputies’ questionable
message left with Flowers’ executive sheriff’s infidelity from the jilted hus- shootings at the hospital and in Gif-
assistant Monday was not returned. He also was angry with Flowers – so band in late January, after he placed a ford.
GPS tracking device on his wife’s car to
confirm his suspicions about the affair.

PROVEN LEADERSHIP MEET OUR CONSERVATIVE
SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES

DERYL LOAR Jackie Rosario Thomas Kenny
★ FOR ★ District 2 District 4
COUNTY
Indian River Shores Community Center
COMMISSION A1A and Fred Tuerk Drive, Vero Beach

PAID BY DERYL LOAR, REPUBLICAN, FOR INDIAN RIVER COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT 4 Tuesday, August 2nd at 5pm

Paid political advertisement paid by Conservative Citizens of IRC.
This advertisement was not approved by any candidate.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 3

NEWS

He believes he can continue to avoid say, but in Lunceford’s case it express- the state where IRSC grads continue Instead, they see it as “an economic
accountability by relying on social- es a passionate philosophy that has upward trajectories launched from the flywheel,” in the words of Moore – an
media posts and speaking to only the shaped his legacy and created a syner- Vero campus. engine of social transformation that
local media outlets he deems friend- gistic network of academic, business lifts up students with non-stellar aca-
ly, knowing they won’t ask the tough and nonprofit links. Lunceford, IRSC president Dr. Tim- demic backgrounds, many from dif-
questions he doesn’t want to answer. othy Moore, and other leaders of the ficult economic circumstances, and
This network extends from the Gif- five-campus system don’t see their puts them on a path to a better, more
But can he command the respect ford Youth Achievement Center to the distinctly non-Ivy League but high- productive life at the same time as it
needed to run a 500-member agency Quail Valley River Club, from John’s ly dynamic college, which enrolled bolsters the area economy.
in which most of his employees carry Island to Cleveland Clinic, and from 23,000 students last year, as a liberal
guns? Piper Aircraft to universities around arts ivory tower. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Certainly, the hypocrisy and lack
of judgment exposed by Flowers’ ex-
tramarital affair has raised eyebrows
and eroded trust within the Sheriff’s
Office.

In February, Flowers apologized to
his wife, agency and community for
failing to live up to his “own personal
high standards” and promised to “work
hard” to regain the trust and support
his behavior had cost him.

Now, Flowers might need to work
on another public apology – perhaps
one that actually mentions the reason
he’s apologizing – though it’s difficult
to believe anyone but his most-devot-
ed backers will accept it. 

Indian River State College
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

But Lunceford will leave his job at
the Mueller Campus of Indian River
State College after 8 years as president
there, 25 years total at the 5-campus
community college, and 39 years as
an educator in Florida and Louisiana.

He will be replaced by Terri A. Gra-
ham, Ed.D, a former elementary
school teacher who worked her way up
through the pedagogical ranks to be a
top administrator at Valencia College
in Orlando, where she served most
recently as interim president of two
campuses, overseeing the education of
35,000 students annually.

Asked what makes him happy when
he thinks of the Mueller Campus
where his office is being redecorated
for the incoming president, Lunceford
replies without hesitation, “Student
success.

“I was in charge of student com-
mencement for a number of years
and I still ask to read at commence-
ment,” he added. “A lot of times in
education, we start initiatives that we
don’t see come to fruition, but at com-
mencement you see the completion,
the fulfillment. You see the students
and their parents smiling and happy,
sometimes crying, and that is a great
sense of satisfaction.”

When asked what is most remark-
able about the sprawling 141-acre
Vero Beach campus he’s led since
2014, his response comes just as fast:
“Our connection to the community.”

That sounds like something most
any retiring college president might

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

NEWS

Indian River State College with an eye to integrating outside kids to a college many of them didn’t “Casey is just an incredible human
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 organizations and the college while previously know existed. being,” says Cynthia Ryan, executive
also serving the needs of the various director the Veterans Council of Indi-
To achieve that end in Vero Beach, groups. The college’s Brackett Library, which an River County. “He has dedicated his
Lunceford has been focused on figur- is also a county library, jointly funded career to serving his students and his
ing out how to bring the community In 2019, Lunceford brought the his- and staffed by IRSC and the county, community and has been an incredi-
onto the Mueller Campus while also toric Laura Riding Jackson house to brings another stream of visitors to the ble asset for us. He is just so connected
extending himself into the communi- the Mueller Campus, saving the home campus, as does the Richardson Cen- everywhere. His ability to bring people
ty, serving on a wide range of boards, of the famed poet and naturalist and ter, a conference facility near the library and programs together is priceless.”
bringing a whole new population of where 119 business gatherings were
poetry lovers, history buffs and school held during the 2021-22 academic year. In 2021 the college used a half-mil-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 5

NEWS

lion-dollar federal grant to establish and proposed holding PTSD recovery critical insights into young people, Flowing back toward the college,
the IRSC Center of Excellence for Vet- classes at the Richardson Center. Casey was a great resource in terms of kids from GYAC participate in a feder-
eran Student Success, which provides classroom design and the technology ally funded program on the Mueller
academic, financial, physical and so- Extending himself into the com- that we should consider. We included Campus that teaches high school stu-
cial support services that help 500 vet- munity at Gifford Youth Achievement everything he recommended and two dents about college applications, test-
erans a year and creates an inflow of Center, Lunceford “was a critical part years after we completed the expan- taking and job interviews, and takes
students for the college. of the facilities committee when we sion, all of those elements are work- them on tours of colleges they might
were working on our expansion,” says ing well. We give Casey a lot of credit attend.
Lunceford has opened the door for Angelia Perry, GYAC executive direc- for his vision for the middle and high
the Veterans Council to move its head- tor. school students.” In 2016, Lunceford created a hos-
quarters onto the Mueller Campus,
“With his educational expertise and CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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

NEWS

Indian River State College vice operation, including lead cooks. “I Gibb, his wife Wheatie, and their ments in the band as well – skills he
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 have five of their students with me at daughter, Rennie, recently made a will put to use in “retirement” when
the moment.” substantial donation to help build the he plans to return to teaching mu-
pitality vocational program on the Eastman Advanced Workforce Training sic, conducting online courses for
Vero campus to train workers for the But it isn’t just restaurant and club Complex on IRSC’s Fort Pierce campus. “a couple of universities,” and vol-
island country clubs and other area workers who inspire island residents unteering his expertise to sharpen
businesses, a plan he says he hatched to support IRSC students and voca- The college will consolidate much up “some high school bands in the
in collaboration with Quail Valley tional programs. of its technical training at the region.”
River Club general manager Kevin 60,000-square-foot, $31 million indus-
Given. “When people decide they love trial education facility where students He also plans to serve on several
Vero and want to stay here for the from Vero Beach will learn marine, avi- boards, consult on higher educa-
In return, island communities and rest of their lives, they want to make ation and automotive technology, ad- tion issues and continue his role as a
individuals fund hundreds of scholar- sure there are people to fix their cars, vanced welding and other in-demand “cheerleader” for IRSC.
ships for local students. and repair their homes, and take care skills.
of them when they are sick,” says Su- “I think I still have a lot to offer high-
“We have tremendous support on zanne Seldes, the college’s director of Office skills are taught as well. When er ed,” he says.
the island,” says Julia Keenan, director strategic marketing. top AMAC real estate agent Charlotte
of development for the IRSC Founda- Terry was looking for an office man- Indian River State College began of-
tion. “John’s Island, Orchid, Quail Val- “We feel very strongly about the ager a couple of years ago, she got no fering 4-year degrees in 2008 but re-
ley Charities – each of them has all need for top-quality vocational pro- response from numerous help wanted mains true to its community college
kinds of scholarships to support IRSC grams and degrees, from HVAC to ads. roots, operating as a job skills training
students. Individuals in those com- auto to airplanes,” says John’s Island enterprise and entry point for higher
munities also fund scholarships. They Real Estate broker Bob Gibb. “It is But then she talked to Lunceford. education.
see the value of IRSC for their employ- important to my clients to have good “Charlotte called and asked if we
ees and themselves.” technicians and we want the stu- had a young person who might intern Some 80 percent of the diplomas it
dents to have degrees they are proud as a manager,” Lunceford recalls. “I awards are 2-year associate degrees.
“Culinary is our sexy program,” says of. Often liberal arts degrees turn called the faculty and asked if we had Many of those 2-year graduates enter
Lunceford, referring to the Culinary out to be more or less worthless, but a business student interested in real the workforce, while others transfer to
Institute on the Mueller Campus. “The these students are learning an entre- estate. We did and Charlotte hired the traditional 4-year colleges and univer-
chef at Quail Valley hires them early preneurial approach to business that young lady who then had a full-time sities.
and often.” will serve the community and make job for 18 months.”
them successful.” “I had a good experience working Besides its five campuses, the col-
“The IRSC students we see are high- with the college,” Terry said. “Getting a lege operates five satellite learning
ly motivated and eager to learn,” says “A good plumber can make more referral from the business school when centers, including in Sebastian and
Quail Valley Executive Chef Joe Faria, than I do per hour,” notes Lunceford, hiring is an untapped resource.” Fellsmere. It has a large nursing pro-
who has hired 30 or more students whose parents came from share-crop- Lunceford, 62, comes by his Indian gram, partners with Piper Aircraft in
from the program for his elite food ser- ping families and leveraged education River County networking expertise the airplane manufacturer’s appren-
to rise in world. naturally. His wife Brenda was born in ticeship program, and does training
Vero and he arrived in town with his for Cleveland Clinic.
family in 1966 when his father came
here to be band director at Vero Beach The cost of an IRSC education is as-
High School. tonishingly low – $6,200 in total for a
He went to the old Vero Beach El- typical associate degree and around
ementary School, where the Fresh- $13,000 for a bachelor’s degree, com-
man Learning Center is now, and was pared to an average of $85,000 at a pri-
among the second group of white stu- vate college.
dents to attend Gifford Middle School
after desegregation. College President Tim Moore says
Like a lot of Vero kids, he left for a 74 percent of graduates stay in the
while, earning a degree in music edu- four-county area the college serves
cation at the University of Florida and – Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and
then going on to Louisiana State Uni- Okeechobee counties – and 91 percent
versity for a master’s degree in con- of his students graduate debt-free.
ducting.
But he was back in Florida six years “We want to provide the best-qual-
later, teaching music at Cocoa Beach ity education at the lowest cost and
High School for a year and then mov- get our students out the door with the
ing to newly opened Port St. Lucie lowest debt and the most wind at their
High School where he was the first back,” he says.
band director and built the band pro-
gram from the ground up, earning That is the student success that
a regional Teacher of the Year award makes Lunceford smile.
along the way.
He began his career at IRSC in 1997, New Mueller Campus president
where he was an associate professor Terri Graham will start Aug.1 and
and director of instrumental music Lunceford will work alongside her
for seven years before shifting to ad- for several weeks to ensure a smooth
ministration. In 10 years as Dean of transition, retiring at the end of the
Arts and Sciences, he grew his division month. 
from 4,800 students to 13,200.
He took over as head of the Vero Vero utility bills going up
campus in 2014. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Lunceford played trombone in the
IRSC jazz band when he was only 13, plant site so that land can be incorpo-
and says he plays all the other instru- rated into the city’s riverfront devel-
opment master plan.

Based upon an initial $80 million
project guesstimate, Vero’s consultant
told city officials in 2020 that rates

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8



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

NEWS

Vero utility bills going up won’t be disclosed right away, he said. ber 2027, but Vero Beach City Manager country. With 25 years of experience in
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Having looked at a similar capacity Monte Falls has said that all ratepay- the restaurant industry, he promises
ers – inside and outside the city – will dishes featuring “fresh ingredients and
would increase $17.66 per month, state-of-the art plant in Orange County be shifted to the one-rate plan. perfectly combined flavors.”
phased in over a 10-year period for the built before the current inflation, before
average customer who is hooked up to the construction boom and before the South barrier island customers have In the days preceding the official
both water and sewer service. supply-chain problems, Auwaerter pre- no valid franchise agreement, as Vero grand opening, folks flocked in hoping
dicts the final price tag for Vero’s new and county officials have been unable to be the first to taste unique, crafted
But was $80 million a realistic num- plant could total as much as $120 mil- to agree on legal wording in the docu- margaritas featuring fresh, natural fruit
ber? As of today, the only hard number lion all-in. “Will they build it at any cost? ment. The previous 30-year franchise and mixed drinks in a smoked glass.
the city has is $2.8 million for engineer- No matter how much the rates will go agreement expired several years ago,
ing and design work which is already up?” Auwaerter asked, rhetorically. but Vero continues to serve the un- El Rey’s menu is intriguing. Beyond
underway on the new wastewater incorporated island south of the Vero the standard Mexican fare, selections
treatment plant. That leaves tens of If there’s no new sewer plant, pre- Beach city limits to the Indian River- include Menudo (beef tripe soup);
millions of dollars of question marks. sumably the old plant stays on the St. Lucie County line.  Ceviche de Pulpo (lime-marinated oc-
river. What happens then to the ho- topus with pico de gallo and avocado);
Indian River Shores Councilman tel, dining, shopping and recreation Mexican restaurants and Pato a las Brasas (roasted duck).
and Vero Utility Commission member development just north of the 17th CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Bob Auwaerter, who thinks the real to- Street bridge? Would a developer in- Meanwhile, the wait continues for
tal could be more than $100 million, vest upwards of $100 million to build – remains to be seen. But three new Casa Amigos Authentic Mexican Res-
said he was hoping the results of the a hotel virtually next door to an aging south of the border restaurants are taurant, which was slated to open in
rate study could be vetted through the sewer plant? either just opening or are in various the former TGIF Friday location at
Utilities Commission before new rates stages of readiness west of the Barber the Indian River Mall last December.
were announced by Vero in September. A September release of the new rates bridge. Permitting seems to have been hold-
does not give customers inside or out- ing things up, but recent social media
But Auwaerter said he doesn’t think side the city limits much time to re- The first of the newcomers, the posts have indicated the restaurant will
the Vero Beach city council or staff view or comment before the planned El Rey Mexican Restaurant, held its be opening sometime this summer.
wants the projected cost of construct- Oct. 1 implementation. grand opening on July 16. It’s located
ing the new wastewater treatment in the former 20th Street location of Jaime Aguilar, a partner in the fam-
plant scrutinized that closely before Meanwhile Indian River Shores’ ap- Vero Prime and, more recently, Savor. ily-owned restaurant which also has
the new rates are approved. peal of a court ruling saying Vero has a well-patronized Port St. Lucie loca-
the legal right to set rates that cover the Proprietor Pedro Cruz, who grew up tion, in an earlier interview promised
“I think they will low-ball the num- cost of operating the utility is pending in Pachuca, Mexico, says he is bringing something new for patrons. “Our con-
bers,” Auwaerter said. If the cost of in the Fourth District Court of Appeals. a new “Mexican vibe” to Vero Beach cept is different to what is already in
constructing the new plant and mov- with his take on cuisine from his native Vero Beach. The way we serve. The
ing operations off the river is going to Indian River Shores and Vero ex- taste. The presentation.”
be an outrageous number, that likely ecuted a franchise agreement in 2012
tying the Shores’ rates to Indian River The third newcomer, Tequila Az-
County Utilities’ rates through Octo-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10



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

NEWS

Mexican restaurants “I’ve been on the Treasure Coast Perhaps the best kept Mexican dining Friday – and get a mid-evening, or
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 for about nine years and I’ve always secret in Vero is the Alley Taco Stand, even a late-night, craving for tacos –
thought Vero was a great little town. located in the alley next to the Irish- a walk down the alley will bring you
teca, will be opening where the Amalfi So, when the location became avail- American Club in Vero’s old downtown. to traditional freshly cooked Mexican
Grille was located until its closing last able, we decided to open the restau- street tacos that some say are the best
April. Restaurant partner, Beto De La rant. Mexican food is really popular This pop-up stand is only open Fri- around. 
Cruz, says they hope to open in the and we will offer a good product at a day evenings, but if you are out on a
next few weeks. good price,” says De La Cruz.
COVID-19 cases up; hospitalizations down
De La Cruz says the restaurant is a Meanwhile, a variety of existing Mex-
partnership between the owners of ican restaurants in Vero Beach seem to BY LISA ZAHNER ministered 21 days apart, is a more
Casa Azteca in Fort Pierce and Casa be going strong. conventional vaccine delivery system
Tequila in Coral Springs, and they plan Staff Writer than the mRNA technology used in the
to bring specialty menu items from For years, Ay Jalisco was the only Pfizer and Moderna shots. It’s still un-
both restaurants along with authentic game in town. But now, Taco Dive, While new weekly COVID-19 infec- clear where or when the vaccine will
Mexican cuisine. Blue Agave, El Sid Taqueria on the is- tions here were up by 11 percent this be available in Indian River County.
land, and Tienda Mexicana Tres Her- past week to 499 cases, local hospital- Neither Cleveland Clinic Indian River
manos offer additional options. izations and deaths were both down, Hospital nor the Indian River County
according to the Centers for Disease Health Department has immediate
Control and Prevention. plans to offer the Novavax vaccine lo-
cally.
As of Monday, Cleveland Clinic In-
dian River Hospital had 10 COVID- Only 8.5 percent of Indian River
positive patients – down from the 27 County residents would be eligible to
people hospitalized one week prior, receive Novavax, as 91.5 percent of In-
according to hospital spokesperson dian River County adults have received
Arlene Allen-Mitchell. Two of the pa- at least one dose of a different COV-
tients in the hospital were in the In- ID-19 vaccine. Seventy-seven percent
tensive-Care Unit, up from one last of the county’s adults are considered to
week. be “fully vaccinated,” and half of those
people have received one “booster”
The CDC reported six additional shot on top of being fully vaccinated.
deaths in Indian River County last
week due to COVID-19, down from With less than two weeks remaining
nine deaths in the previous seven until the start of public-school classes,
days. students and teachers will enter their
third year contending with COVID-19.
All but two Florida counties re- Only about 5,300 Indian River County
mained in the high community spread school-age children have been fully
category, with the Treasure Coast and vaccinated.
Florida’s Panhandle reporting the
greatest percentage increase in cases The virus making more headlines
from the previous week, according to than COVID-19 right now – especially
the CDC’s rolling seven-day average. in Florida – is Monkeypox. As of Mon-
day, the Florida Department of Health
Infections remain high in South reported 273 cases in 16 counties across
Florida and the Tampa Bay area, but the state, which amounts to about 10
cases appeared to be flattening out a percent of the nation’s documented cas-
bit in those hot spots – at least tempo- es. Broward County has had 131 cases,
rarily. followed by Miami-Dade with 73 cases.

The predominant BA.5 subvariant As of Monday, the state reports no
of the Omicron virus strain is said to confirmed cases on the Treasure Coast,
be better adapted at evading immuni- the closest cases being 10 cases in Palm
ty gained through vaccination or nat- Beach County and three cases in Polk
ural immunity from prior infection. County.

Senior citizens and those with com- Public health officials say the short
promised immune systems or under- window of opportunity to contain Mon-
lying conditions putting them at risk keypox in the United States has been
for serious COVID-19 illness eagerly missed due to a lack of awareness and
await new formulations of the Moder- urgency, so the focus now is on testing,
na and Pfizer vaccines targeted at the treatment and vaccination.
more contagious Omicron variants as
a growing number of fully vaccinated Smallpox vaccine supplies that have
and double-boosted people like Presi- been released from stockpiles are
dent Joe Biden – who avoided COV- somewhat limited so far, as the disease
ID-19 infection since 2020 – are being has been all-but eradicated worldwide
infected with the BA.5 subvariant. in 1980, and the vaccine carries the risk
of serious side effects for immune-com-
Concerned about the next COVID promised patients. The last natural out-
surge, the CDC gave the green light break of Smallpox in the United States
last week to a fourth COVID-19 vac- was in 1949 and the last case in the U.S.
cine, for adults who have not yet re- was reported in 1977, according to the
ceived the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson National Institutes of Health. 
and Johnson shots.

Novavax, a two-shot regimen ad-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 11

NEWS

Pelican Island Audubon Society hires executive director

BY STEVEN M. THOMAS “I’ve been president of Pelican Island A board member since 2014, Halleran Road Boat Ramp – to create more space
Audubon Society since 2003 and it has has been heavily involved as a volunteer for educational programs, community
Staff Writer been a fulltime job since we opened leader and program manager, putting events and a bird art museum; growing
Audubon house in 2015,” said Baker, in 50 hours a week, and the committee the afterschool program that teaches
Indian River County’s oldest and who is looking forward to a lighter work- decided she was best positioned to keep fifth-graders everything from first aid
most active environmental organiza- load and some time off with Halleran Audubon’s many programs operating to kayaking to scientific research skills;
tion has hired its first executive director coming in as top administrator. effectively while also taking the organi- creating a 10-year strategic plan to
with the aim of expanding its programs zation to the next level. guide the growth of the organization;
and increasing its public profile after “We did a nationwide search and there and amping up fundraising.
nearly 60 years of volunteer leadership. were more than 20 applicants,” Baker Her goals include expanding the
said, but in the end the search commit- Audubon House – which is located on The group, which is funded by grants
“Up till now, we have been so busy tee picked one of Audubon’s own. the shell road that leads to the Oslo
starting and running programs that CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
we haven’t done as good a job as we
should have of telling our story,” said
Donna Halleran, a Coast Guard vet-
eran and retired social worker who
started as executive director of Pelican
Island Audubon Society this month.

It is quite a story.
Early members of the group that
formed Pelican Island Audubon Soci-
ety led the fight to stop condo devel-
opment near Pelican Island Wildlife
Sanctuary back in the early 1960s. The
chapter was organized in 1964 in the
aftermath of that effort and since then
has been at the forefront of most ev-
ery important environmental battle or
initiative in Indian River County.
Audubon members founded Vero’s
acclaimed Environmental Learning
Center in the 1980s and helped lead
the effort to pass two bond issues – one
for $50 million in 2004 and a second
one for $25 million – to buy and pre-
serve environmentally sensitive land.
Audubon and its longtime president
Dr. Richard Baker, a retired University
of Florida biology professor, also led the
fight to stop expansion of the Oslo Road
boat ramp that would have imperiled
one of the most pristine sections of the
lagoon in Indian River County.
They were also instrumental in the
effort to get city and county fertilizer
ordinances passed 10 years ago to keep
nitrogen and other harmful chemicals
out of the lagoon.
Today the group runs a wide range
of programs, including a summer
camp and after school programs that
teach children about science and the
environment, while building their ar-
tistic and communication skills and
bolstering their mental health.
For years, the 800-member Audubon
chapter has conducted bird counts
and nesting surveys at Blue Cypress
Lake, the largest Osprey breeding site
in the world, keeping track of an envi-
ronmental treasure in Vero’s back yard.
In 2018, Baker and his volunteers
launched Trees for Life, an ambitious
effort to plant 100,000 native trees in
the county, with 12,000 planted so far.
Volunteers also clear trails on pre-
serve land, lead nature hikes and teach
adults about birding.

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

NEWS

Pelican Island Audubon Society John’s Island West golf course ranked No. 4 in Florida
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

and donations, is heavily networked in BY RAY MCNULTY ranked No. 18 on Golf Digest maga- ly undergoing a complete renovation
the community, doing joint programs Staff Writer zine’s “Best Courses in Florida.” that Kroh said will “take an outstand-
with the school district, the county,Vero ing golf course to an even higher level.”
Beach, Sebastian and other entities, but The oft-celebrated John’s Island “Appearing on these lists helps raise
it has never done the kind of outreach West golf course continues to impress your stature as an elite club,” John’s Is- Located off 58th Avenue just north
and targeted fundraising many other industry experts who annually rank it land General Manager Brian Kroh said of County Road 510 in Wabasso, six
nonprofits employ to engage island do- among the nation’s best, as well as one last week. “It’s just another reason to miles from the John’s Island club and
nors and other potential benefactors. of the elite layouts in the state. want to become a John’s Island mem- community, and built on 300 acres
ber.” along a natural sand ridge that pro-
“Audubon is the main environmen- The latest recognition comes from vides stunning changes in elevation,
tal organization in the county that does Golfweek magazine, which earlier this Three other private, Vero Beach-ar- the course design will not change.
advocacy for environmental causes and month ranked John’s Island’s main- ea courses were included among Golf-
I am excited about the future of the or- land jewel No. 4 on its 2022 list of the week’s “Top 200 Residential Courses in However, Kroh said the course will
ganization,” Halleran told Vero Beach “Best Private Courses” in Florida, be- the U.S.” – Orchid Island Golf & Beach be completely re-grassed – “for the first
32963. “There is a great need in the hind only the Seminole (Juno Beach), Club (No. 107), Quail Valley (No. 126) time in 20 years” – a new irrigation sys-
world we live in now for environmental Calusa Pines (Naples) and Mountain and Windsor Club (No. 199). tem will be installed and the grading
education and action, and I want to see Lake (Lake Wales) golf clubs. on some holes will be restored, with all
more action!” Orchid Island General Manager Rob the work being done by Fazio’s design
John’s Island West, in fact, ranked Tench said he appreciated Golfweek’s company.
“Our dynamic board is very active in en- ahead of the lofty likes of The Bear’s recognition, adding, “It’s a great golf
couraging a variety of initiatives and keen- Club (No. 6) in Jupiter; McArthur (No. course and a lot of fun to play.” “The course was built on a very
ly watches out for what is happening in 9), Loblolly (No. 10) and Medalist (No. unique piece of property for Florida,”
our county and its environmental needs,” 12) in Hobe Sound; Trump Interna- Quail Valley General Manager Kevin Kroh said. “It’s on the same sand ridge
Baker said.“We have been expanding our tional (No. 14) in West Palm Beach; Given, on the other hand, was puzzled as Red Stick, The Moorings at Hawk’s
programs and Donna’s leadership and and Floridian (No. 20) in Palm City. by his course’s appearance on the list, Nest and Indian River Club, which all
organizing skills are [much] needed.” saying, “We are not residential,” and enjoy a natural change in topography.”
Golfweek also included John’s Island that “not one person from Golfweek
“I am looking forward to telling our West in its 2022 rankings of the “Top has even contacted us.” There are no homes on the course,
story in a more compelling way to at- 200 Residential Courses in the U.S.” which played host to the 2015 United
tract new members and funding, so (No. 12) and “Top 200 Modern Courses John’s Island, meanwhile, isn’t rest- States Golf Association Mid-Amateur
that we can do more to protect the en- in the U.S.” (No. 58). ing on its laurels. Championship, but the clubhouse of-
vironment and educate the next gen- fers outdoor dining and panoramic
eration,” Halleran said.  Last year, John’s Island West was The club’s West Course, which was views.
designed by famed architect Tom Fazio
and opened for play in 1988, is current-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 13

NEWS

John’s Island has two other courses According to Golfweek, the courses The private-course list was restrict- The modern-course list provides
on its barrier-island footprint, and Kroh on its 2022 lists were judged by hun- ed to private clubs that don’t accept the rankings of golf courses built from
said all three layouts are equally played dreds of raters who “continually eval- daily-fee or resort play. 1960 to the present.
by the club’s members and guests. The uate” the layouts based on 10 differ-
West Course, though, is generally con- ent criteria, awarding points from 1 The residential-course list focused No local courses were included on
sidered to be more challenging and has through 10, and then filing an overall solely on the golf courses and not the Golfweek’s “2022 Best Classic Courses”
received more national acclaim. rating. communities as a whole or other ame- list, which covers those built prior to
nities. 1960. 

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

NEWS

Nesting turtles Surprisingly, given the adults’ mam- bags can also be fatal to the creatures. dian River Shores, and Orchid all have
moth dimensions, the hatchlings are Right now on county beaches, leath- nighttime lighting ordinances restricting
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 pretty much the same size as other sea the use of artificial lights along the beach
turtle babies, about 2.41 inches and erbacks have been hatching, and those during the nesting season, and each gov-
In the 22 years since the county’s 1.6 ounces freshly hatched, according babies are in danger from artificial lights, ernment has its own penalties and code
Sea Turtle Conservation program has to the Sea Turtle Conservancy. Bergman says. They are programmed to enforcement officers, Bergman notes.
been keeping leatherback records, follow moonlight to the ocean. If they are
the county’s shores have been the re- A female sea turtle “lays between disoriented by manmade lights – porch, Bergman urged oceanside dwellers
pository of choice for an average of 50 two and six nests in one season, and walkway, interior lights through open and beachgoers to “help our beloved
leatherback nests per season, ranking Leatherbacks lay around 60 to 80 eggs blinds, flashlights, even bonfires – they fol- sea turtles, shield and point lights down-
2022 significantly above average. in each clutch of which about 50 to lowthem,gothewrongway, andlikely die. ward on buildings, use amber or red
60 percent of leatherback eggs hatch, lights, and don’t interact with them.” 
The largest turtle on the planet, and and it’s believed that less than 1 per- Indian River County, Vero Beach, In-
one of the world’s most impressive rep- cent of the hatchlings will even make
tiles, leatherbacks can reach 6 feet long it to adulthood,” says Bergman. Then Vero slashes amount of stormwater tax
and 1,000 pounds, mostly by chowing it takes 25 to 35 years for sea turtles to
down on jellyfish in the cold waters be big enough to reproduce. BY RAY MCNULTY a new stormwater tax rate structure.
around Nova Scotia. “I don’t like it, but it’s better than the
So, once they’ve made it to the Staff Writer
Each summer, the endangered and ocean, then what? Bergman says that alternative,” Mayor Robbie Brackett
protected turtles head south to nest, question continues to be investigated The Vero Beach City Council decided said after joining Vice Mayor Rey Nev-
making the 3,000-mile journey to tropi- by biologists and conservationists, last week to use federal COVID-19 relief ille and council member John Cotug-
cal shores. Popular nesting spots along but the “best answer currently is that funds to cover most of the $1.1 million no in voting to approve the reduced
Indian River County’s 22.4 miles of they most likely float on the ocean cost of next year’s planned stormwater tax. “I still don’t think we should pay
sandy coastline include the Archie Carr currents until they grow big enough management projects to help reduce anything when we have the money in
National Wildlife Refuge on the north to head into the open ocean and up nutrient runoff going into the Indian Rescue Plan funds.”
barrier Island. into the deep ocean waters near the River Lagoon.
Arctic, where there is more of their fa- Bob McCabe and Honey Minuse
During the March 1 to Oct. 31 nest- vorite food – jellyfish – than in shallow After a sometimes-tumultuous, three- cast the dissenting votes.
ing season, including the 70- to 90-day coastal waters. hour public discussion, the council
incubation period, while the turtles voted to have taxpayers pay only 10 per- Several council members expressed
nest and hatch at night, the Sea Turtle Globally, the greatest threat to all cent of the amount they would’ve paid concerns about the discrepancies in the
Conservation Program monitors the sea turtles in their ocean habitat is under the stormwater tax rate structure plan, as well as the absence of incentives
nests each morning and coordinates unintended take by fisheries or “en- they had approved in June. for taxpayers – especially businesses – to
an effort to record every single “crawl” tanglement in abandoned fishing invest in efforts to mitigate the storm-
– the trail of a hatchling from its nest gear,” says Bergman. Marine pol- Owners of average-size homes will water runoff on their properties.
to the water – from the previous night. lution such as balloons and plastic now be required to pay $7 instead of
$75 for the year when they receive “The objective here is to clean up
their tax bills in November. the lagoon,” McCabe said. “The objec-
tive here is not to raise $1.1 million.”
The amount of the stormwater fee
depends upon each property’s impervi- Minuse offered a compromise that
ous surfaces, such as buildings, drive- called for using the American Rescue
ways and patios that don’t absorb water. Plan funding to cover 50 percent of
Government-owned land and nonprof- the $1.1 million, so the federal money
its like churches also would be assessed, would still be available for other expen-
according to the paved or impervious ditures when needed, but the council
area on the property that contribute to opted for 90 percent.
the city’s total stormwater runoff prob-
lem, just like homes and businesses. Critics of the plan included Piper
Aircraft, Corporate Air and the Taxpay-
The amended plan, which was ap- ers Association of Indian River County.
proved in a 3-2 vote, will cover only
the coming fiscal year. Taxpayers can The largest commercial property
expect to pay considerably more in owners could’ve paid nearly $50,000
fiscal 2023-24, when the council sets per year, with the exact amount de-
termined by the size of the parcel and
how much of it is paved. 

Marica Petrovska.

MCKEE GARDEN’S GLORY

WATERLILY CELEBRATION
IS PICTURE-PERFECT P. 20

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

PEOPLE

Community smiles upon ‘Faces of Early Literacy’ campaign

Marybeth Cunningham, Marie O’Brien, Dr. Greg Rosencrance and Andy Sowers. PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF equately manage their healthcare and
prevent diseases.
Staff Writer
“Healthcare and literacy are unde-
A growing number of large black- niably tied together,” said Marybeth
and-white photos of local children now Cunningham, Hospital District chair-
grace the sides of businesses, commu- woman. “There is a clear relation-
nity and nonprofit buildings. It is all ship between literacy and health out-
part of the Learning Alliance’s 2022 comes.”
Moonshot Moment Campaign, “Faces
of Early Literacy: Today’s Readers are “The Learning Alliance is an orga-
Tomorrow’s Leaders.” nization focused exclusively on trans-
forming our community through lit-
The most recent ones are the 35 eracy, specifically from birth to third
posters on the tower of Cleveland grade,” said Andy Sowers, TLA board
Clinic Indian River Hospital, where the treasurer.
daunting task of mounting them was
accomplished with the help of Indian He noted that while only about 35
River County firefighters. percent of children nationwide can
read at grade level by the end of third
“The community is really an impor- grade, the TLA goal is to have 90 per-
tant part of who we are. We’re inter- cent of local children do so.
twined. We’re one in the same. We are
the community, and the community “If you’re not reading at grade level
is us,” said Dr. Gregory Rosencrance, at the end of third grade, your chance
CCIRH president, saying the hospital of catching up is 1 in 6. We need to do
was proud to be part of the temporary something about that,” said Sowers.
art exhibit.
“From birth through third grade,
Rosencrance said approximately 95 you learn to read. From fourth grade
percent of the babies born in the coun- on, you read to learn. Obviously, if you
ty are delivered at CCIRH, and that a can’t read, you can’t learn. And if you
large number of the hospital’s staff are can’t learn, you can’t earn or do all
the parents or grandparents of young those other things necessary for a suc-
children. cessful life,” said Sowers.

“Here at Cleveland Clinic Indian Riv- “We are all working together full in
er Hospital, we’re passionate about this the knowledge that success will have
endeavor. We want to support [TLA’s] ef- a broad, constructive impact on our
forts to develop children’s literacy skills community that will last for years. The
in our community,” Rosencrance added. job is here right in front of us. With all
of us in the community working to-
According to the National Assess- gether, we will not flag or fail.”
ment of Adult Literacy, he said only 12
percent of Americans have a high level For more information, visit The-
of health literacy and that 90 percent LearningAlliance.org or MoonShotMo-
of adults lack the skills needed to ad- ment.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 17

PEOPLE

Luz Molina, Erin Miller, Josh Welter, Tyler Osterman, Lt. Will WIllmot and Marie O’Brien. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
Elizabeth Thomason, Laica Gerwien-Moreta and Judi Miller.

Michelle Martin and Gary Mastrogiovanni.

Patricia Kawi and County Commissioner Laura Moss.
Peggy Jones and Cindy Gibbs.

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

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 Tammy Bursick and Sheri Philo.
Shanti Sanchez and Andi Smith.
William Shelly, Heather Miranda and Vicki Soule.

Pamela Burchell and Cheree Shelly. Sydney Mihailoff, Deana Shatley, Meredith Egan and Sarah Tucci.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 19

PEOPLE

Generosity kicks into overdrive at car show to benefit vets

Marie Terranova. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS Mark Biron.

BY MARY SCHENKEL need help and we’re here for them,” them to own their little piece of prop-
said Diaz. “It doesn’t make any differ- erty and their home,” said Bodnar. “A
Staff Writer ence; they’re a veteran. Our motto is to lot of these guys are living in the woods.
help those who have borne the price They have an income, but not enough.”
All spiffed up and gleaming in the for our freedom.”
sun, nearly 100 antique, foreign, col- VVIRC members meet the first
lector, modified and muscle cars were Ultimately, they hope to find a piece Wednesday of every month at 696 8th
parked alongside one another at the of property large enough to build tiny Court, Vero Beach. For more informa-
12th annual Father’s Day Car Show to homes. “They’re veterans so they would tion, call 772-794-0005. 
benefit Vietnam Veterans of Indian all qualify for a VA loan. The idea is for
River County, which is open to all local
veterans. Event organizer Craig Waskow.

“Through good relationships with trouble through addictions to alcohol
people in town, I never have to ask or drugs.
anybody twice. I’ve got raffle prizes
out there today that are worth over “They go into the VA Domiciliary,
$1,400. I mean, people are so good and and when they’re getting ready to get
so generous. I’m just so pleased,” said out the VA calls us. I’ve had four calls
event organizer Craig Waskow, noting this week alone, but I don’t have any
that the event has raised some $65,000 beds available,” said Diaz.
since its inception.
“We try to steer them back into em-
“Our main thrust right now is fur- ployment, to become a productive
nishing the 20-unit, single-bedroom member of society once again,” add-
efficiencies on Royal Palm Point. We’re ed Bodnar. He added that they act as
raising money to furnish them and put mentors to veterans arrested for mis-
in basic creature comforts,” said Was- demeanor or low-level felonies who opt
kow, adding that they also assist veter- into Veteran Courts and guide them
ans with various short-term expenses. through the program.

Vic Diaz, VVIRC treasurer, explained Additionally, Diaz said, they help
that theirs is an all-volunteer, stand- veterans file claims for the benefits
alone nonprofit, established strictly for they either didn’t realize they were en-
local veterans. titled to or didn’t know how to access.
They have a retired attorney accredit-
“Everyone thinks, when we men- ed with the VA to research claims, and
tion a veteran, that it’s all men,” said eight volunteers qualified to file them.
Michael Bodnar, VVIRC vice president.
“We have gals. They’re just as impor- “Over the last seven or eight years,
tant as the rest. They just don’t get the we probably brought into Indian River
recognition.” County about $40 million,” said Diaz,
adding that many of the veterans re-
Members annually go into wood- ceived a 100 percent disability rating.
ed areas to assist the Treasure Coast
Homeless Services Council with its “The problem was, they weren’t rec-
Point in Time Count of the homeless in ognized by the VA as having the prob-
the county, and they provide homeless lems,” Bodnar explained. “So what we
veterans with food, blankets, clothing, do is we work up the claim, gather the
bedding and other essentials. evidence, submit it. A lot of times it gets
rejected, but we don’t stop there. We
Diaz said the Veterans Affairs of- pursue it.”
fice also informs them about veterans
needing assistance, having run into “Right now, it’s extremely tough with
everybody raising their rents. Veterans

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

PEOPLE

Garden’s glory on display at picture-perfect Waterlily Celebration

BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA time, visitors paused to ask questions
Staff Writer or peer politely over the artists’ shoul-
ders, impressed to watch as canvases
At McKee Botanical Garden’s 17th came alive with blues and greens,
Annual Waterlily Celebration, the light and shadow, and the rainbow
exquisite divas of the garden were at hues of the day’s watery celebrants.
their gorgeous best, as was the entire
18-acre haven. Visitors encountered A popular first stop, and a favorite of
a connected system of streams that photographers, artists and waterlilies
widen into ponds in several places alike, is the central pond just past the
and, true to its jungle heritage, some entrance, crossed by an arched McK-
10,000 native and tropical plants and ee icon – the endlessly picturesque
an impressive collection of waterlil- old stone bridge.
ies.
Another perennial favorite activity
Throughout the sunny Saturday, is viewing the repotting demonstra-
close to 1,000 people visited, a mix of tions near, and sloshing about in, the
locals, tourists, first-timers, regulars, pond by the Royal Palm Grove. Nikki
families, children, retirees, artists, Stoltze, one of McKee’s gifted garden-
and lots and lots of photographers, ers, hoisted a tangled bundle of water-
from professionals to iPhone snap- lilies, shaking, snipping and pulling
pers. So rich in beauty is this magi- apart the root balls, their spindly root
cal place that virtually every view legs dangling damply, as she nim-
through the lens could be considered bly separated them with a vigorous
“suitable for framing.” sureness. Her actions proved beyond
doubt that while the plants may ap-
Throughout the garden, plein air pear to be fragile, delicate blossoms
artists stood before their easels cre- floating gently on the surface of a se-
ating their own interpretations of the rene pond, they are clearly far tougher
lush tropical beauty. From time to than they look.

PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

Other McKee plant experts were “I like planting flowers,” she said.
available to answer random plant “I learned a lot when I attended camp
queries, and many folks went home here.”
cradling tropical plants from the
event vendors. Nodding in agreement her father
said, “She knows all about it.”
Local resident David Cantrell shared
the morning with daughter, Alex, 8. Grand Central, the second giant
stickwork installation created exclu-

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

PEOPLE

sively for McKee by internationally Entries in the waterlily photo com- place winners: Black and White – Lee and white blooms, commented on the
lauded artist Patrick Dougherty, drew petition, another annual highlight, Bernson, “White Ice”; Manipulated – importance of taking time to “bask in
hundreds of oohs and aahs as it com- were displayed in the Hall of Giants, Amy Dyson, “Stained Glass Lotus”; and the garden’s exquisite beauty.”
manded the south end of the Grove, itself an astounding historic struc- Youth – Alexander Fuller, “A Visitor.”
with visitors impressed and delight- ture. Always an excellent suggestion.
ed by this whimsical, nature-based Shekina Mechelle, pausing with
sculpture. The People’s Choice winner was Paul friend Brendalin Bacon to enjoy a For more information, visit
Austin, “Bees Courting Lotus.” First cluster of just awakening pink, blue McKeeGarden.org. 

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

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 Nikki Stoltze.
Marlene Evans Putnam.
Alan Glenesk and Joseph Saltiel.

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

PEOPLE

Stuebrtalsetsiatantusheeallt-‘eIbnrlaette’spnaerwk

Artist Steve Diossy. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

PHOTOS: KERRY FIRTH

BY KERRY FIRTH time outdoors to combat stress and
mental illness.
Correspondent
“I am a personal fan of artist Steve
A very special ‘turtle hatching’ Diossy and saw that he had painted
took place at the Sebastian Inlet State a turtle for Turtle Trax, so we ap-
Park Museum as representatives proached him about doing one for
from Friends of Sebastian Inlet State us,” Finegan said. “He immediately
Park and the Mental Health Associa- agreed.”
tion unveiled the first Indian River
County MHA Turtle statue created Finegan next approached the
since 2007. Friends of the Sebastian Inlet to raise
the $10,000 needed to fund the proj-
The shell of this newest turtle, ect. They rallied 10 generous mem-
painted by artist Steve Diossy, fea- bers who each contributed $1,000 to
tures a wave cresting over the beach make it a reality.
that is brilliantly lit with sunlight, as
fish swim the ocean’s depths. “This turtle truly represents the
community spirit of Sebastian and
“I am an avid surfer and I get a spe- their love for the park,” said Finegan.
cial thrill out of seeing a turtle riding
the wave with me,” said Diossy who Wagner hopes that this will be
generously donated his time to paint- the precursor to many more ‘turtle
ing the turtle sculpture. hatchings’ around the county.

“I painted a turtle for the original “Anyone interested in underwrit-
Turtle Trax campaign back in 2007 ing one of these majestic turtles can
by the Mental Health Association as call the Mental Health Association
a fundraising effort. The life-size tur- and we’ll make it happen,” said Wag-
tles were auctioned off and placed all ner.
over town, creating awareness about
mental health. I was honored then to The Sebastian Inlet State Park,
participate and even more honored which connects the Indian River
now to do the first turtle revival.” Lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean, also
offers seven miles of winding trails
This new turtle resurgence was ini- through mangrove forests, coastal
tiated by Addy Finegan, recently re- strand dunes and maritime ham-
tired Park Service specialist, who had mock forests. Its access provides visi-
admired the turtles that continue to tors with a unique opportunity to im-
grace our town. merse themselves in ‘blue spacing’
and ‘green spacing’ (bodies of water
Phoning the MHA, she connected and nature), which research indi-
with Amy Wagner, director of mar- cates can reduce stress and anxiety,
keting and fund development, and and improve mental health.
inquired about securing one for the
park. It was a perfect match as the For more information, visit mhairc.
MHA had been seeking an avenue org or FriendsOfSebastianInletState-
to highlight the benefits of spending Park.org. 

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

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 Dan and Lisa Brenneman with David Kaltschmidt.
Anne Lanier, Wilfred Hart and Tammy Adams.

Kendra Cope and Quintin Bergman. Becky and Kent Faughander with Jane and Wayne Bushnell.

Park Ranger Ken Torres and Addy Finegan.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 25

PEOPLE

Pride on the Block 2K22: A joyous ‘celebration for all’

Savanah Wax. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS Ashley Carreiro and Brittney Hughes. Cherie Fain.

Dustin Eubanks. Shelita Taylor hypes the crowd up at The Kilted Mermaid.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF “We really had to have a Pride event “Nobody chooses this life. You’re there was a Charity Liquor Bar to bene-
Staff Writer this year, especially with everything born with it. I wanted this event to fit VeroPride. There was also live music
that’s going on right now,” said Pat be accessible. There’s a big minority throughout the day, a tie-dying station,
A wave of love and acceptance Schlitt, VeroPride executive director. group and a big, underserved commu- vendors and chalk drawing, and the
washed over more than 700 residents “I would not have ever imagined a bill nity out there that doesn’t make the health department offered free HIV
and visitors from the Treasure and like ‘Don’t say gay’ to ever be passed in same amount of money as folks else- testing.
Space coasts as they gathered in the a million years.” where in Vero,” Schlitt added.
Kilted Mermaid alley for Pride on the “We are an inclusive group. Not an
Block 2K22, presented by VeroPride. As a child growing up in Vero Beach, Drag Queens and divas of the stage exclusive group. If you exclude people
Schlitt recalls that there was no ac- RiPP LEE and Shelita Taylor hosted that have the love and the care and the
The all-day Pride festival, which cess to similar events, where everyone the free event, spreading love to all the passion to just be with other human
was held on the seventh anniversary could be their true selves. partiers. Later, after the family-friend- beings, then you’re excluding a whole
of the Supreme Court granting mar- ly portion of the day ended, there were generation. You’re excluding the future
riage equality to same-sex couples in “We can incorporate others into high-energy performances by several from progressing. That’s what it feels
the United States, was organized to our world view, our perspective. area drag queens, and Vero Burlesque’s like is happening today,” said Schlitt.
celebrate members of the LGBTQIA+ Whether you’re in the LGBTQIA+ members put on a tasteful but oh-so-
community in a judgment-free envi- community or you’re just an ally, it sexy performance. On Oct. 29, VeroPride will host its sec-
ronment and to honor diversity, re- was a celebration for all. A celebra- ond annual Hallo-Queen event at Walk-
gardless of age, race, gender or identity. tion of life, love, and acceptance of In addition to food provided by ing Tree Brewery. 
yourself and others,” said Schlitt. Kilted Mermaid and Southern Social,

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

PEOPLE

‘Bun’ appetit! Burgers and fundraising sizzle at UP event

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

The tantalizing aroma of sizzling Jared Young of American Icon Brewery. Djuan Shelton of The Brennity. Irama Fuentes of Southern Social.
burgers permeated Downtown Vero
Beach during the seventh annual amount of American and Swiss chees- Brennity and Wilke’s 14 Bones were the in search of help for the first time in
Burgers and Brews fundraiser to ben- es, pickles, onion, bacon, mayonnaise other contestants, adding flair to their their lives,” said Tanner.
efit United Against Poverty, as burger and mustard. burgers with goodies such as blueberry
enthusiasts were tempted by tasty con- jam, short rib, corned beef, bacon jam, In response, UP has developed two
coctions created by 10 local chefs. American Icon Brewery, BigShots sawmill gravy and brie sauce. new workforce initiatives to get more
Golf, Heaton’s Reef, Marsh Landing, people back to work in better-paying
Chef Leanne Kelleher of the Tides; Sean Ryan Pub, Southern Social, The The Heritage Center provided air- jobs: BuildUP and UPSkill.
television personality Chef Sue Tor- conditioned respite for VIP ticket hold-
res; Chef Dan Wood, owner/operator of ers before they headed outside to select BuildUP, in partnership with the
Café 66; and Thomas Miller, Treasure the next slider on the list. Treasure Coast Builders Association
Coast Foodie blogger, were tasked with and the Treasure Coast Manufactur-
determining which restaurant de- Outside, there was something for ers Association, provides profession-
served the title of Best Burger in Indian everyone, with food trucks, vendors, a al training to enable employment in
River County. children’s play area, live music, and an those two industries.
Apple Pie Eating Contest won by Ricar-
At the conclusion of the heated com- do Lopez-Bonilla. “There’s a huge demand in those ar-
petition, the judges declared the Grill at eas. These are high-paying jobs with
CW Willis Family Farms as the winner, The event was designed to provide advancement opportunities. We’re
after savoring their delectable burger, families with a fun way to spend the at about 20 adults employed within
served on a pretzel bun and topped day together while raising funds for those industries this year through
with peach jam, herb mayonnaise and and awareness of United Against Pov- those partnerships,” said Tanner.
candied bacon. erty’s Membership Grocery, Crisis
Stabilization, STEP (Success Training The UPSkill Academy will provide
Barefoot Café was presented with Employment Program) and Education the skills training required for cur-
the People’s Choice Award for its “hot programs, and its myriad other ser- rent and future local job opportuni-
wrap” burger that had just the right vices designed to help lower-income ties. UP will provide access to free
families lift themselves out of poverty. credentials and professional certifi-
cations so that people will become
“Last year, we worked with 8,500 more eligible for competitive jobs.
families, and our goal this year is 10,000
families,” said Matt Tanner, UP execu- Tanner said the UP Center current-
tive director. He noted that they assist ly offers CPR First Aid certification,
people to get jobs, put food on the table Mental Health First Aid Awareness
and keep a roof over their heads. training, and GED and OSHA 10 cer-
tification training.
“All these important things that
we do here, we can’t do without these A new Going UP Bus, made possible
kinds of fundraising events.” through an Impact 100 Grant Award,
will provide transportation to the UP
Tanner explained that many fami- Center and to on-the-job training at
lies are being priced out of the com- UP employer partners, to people pre-
munity due to the discontinuation of viously unable to access services and
federal COVID benefits, inflation, ris- opportunities due to a lack of access
ing food costs, and skyrocketing mort- to transportation.
gage and rents, which has led to an
ever-increasing need for their services. “If people are looking for better jobs,
Even those fixed-income seniors who new jobs, better pay, this is the place
once had plans in place to maintain a to go,” said Tanner, of the UP Center.
quality of life are struggling.
For more information, visit upirc.
“A lot of folks are having to come in, org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 27

PEOPLE

Siearra Holmes of Big Shots Golf. Melissa Willis, Caleigh Willis, Cameron LeGendre and Tevye Jensen Ricardo Lopez-Bonilla of Heaton’s.
of C.W. Willis Family Farms accept the judges’ First Place Award.

VISION AND HEARING LOSS

DOUBLES RISK OF DEMENTIA

Will Watkins, owner of Barefoot Café, accepts the Aaron Liebman, Au. D. were twice as likely to develop it on other people mumbling,
Doctor of Audiology dementia than the other groups. background noise, or say the TV
People’s Choice Award. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS “Older people with only a visual or radio volume is too low”, said
It’s common to lose hearing or hearing impairment can usually Dr. Liebman. “So they’re surprised
Sandy Medina of Marsh Landing. or vision as you age, but the still maintain social contact, so when they are tested and realize
loss of both can have serious they may not feel as isolated or what they can’t hear”
consequences. A new study depressed as people who have First and foremost Dr. Liebman’s
found that hearing and vision both impairments,”explained study goal as an Audiologist is to perform
loss put you at double the risk of author JinHyeong Jhoo, M.D., Ph.D. a proper diagnostic hearing test so
developing dementia later in life. “However, when someone has both he can decide whether a patient
This study was published in the impairments, that may increase the needs to be referred to and ear,
journal Neurology in April 2021. risk of isolation and depression, nose and throat physician for a
The study involved 6,250 people which previous research has found medical evaluation, or if this is
ages 58 to 101. At the beginning may affect dementia risk and strictly a permanent hearing loss
of the study, 932 participants had thinking skills later on.” that needs help with hearing aids.
normal hearing and vision, 2,957 Also, untreated hearing loss puts Dr. Liebman said, “that is what
had either hearing or vision loss you at a greater risk for mental really differentiates me from a
and 2,631 had both hearing and health problems including traditional hearing aid salesman. I
vision loss. Questionnaires revealed depression. According to recent have a Doctorate in Audiology and
that dementia was more than research, approximately 11.4% of my diagnosis is based on years of
twice as common in the group adults with a self-reported hearing education, not months of hearing
with dual sensory impairment (8%) problem said had moderate to aid salesmanship. I will take the time
than those with single sensory severe depression compare to 5.9 to screen and assess all the data
impairment (2.4%) or no sensory of those without hearing loss. prior to making a recommendation
impairment (2.3%). Untreated hearing loss doesn’t just for hearing aids. Even AARP says
Every two years for a total of six cut you off from sounds. It also cuts that you are more likely to be
years, researchers tested thinking you off from people. You may have successful with a gearing aid fitting
and memory skills with word recall difficulty following conversations by seeing an audiologist than a
and recognition exercises. The and communicating. Even strong hearing aid salesman.”
six-year follow-up revealed that relationships, such as those with Floridarequireslicensedaudiologist
a total of 245 people developed your spouse or children, can to have a doctorate in audiology
dementia. 146 of the 1,964 people become strained. requiring years of study concerning
with both impairments developed Treating hearing loss with hearing hearing, hearing rehabilitation,
dementia compared to 69 of 2,396 devices can help your mental anatomy, and function of the
people with one impairment and well-being. For example, nearly hearing mechanism and hearing
14 of the 737 with no impairment. 35% of patients in one study who aid technology. Dr. Liebman utilizes
These results revealed that those wore hearing devices reported a range of manufacturers and
with both hearing and vision loss improvements in their mental technologies and does not believe
health, and 52% said their social one manufacturer is “the best”.
lives improved . In another study, If you are a candidate for hearing
every single patient who wore aids, you should be fitted with
hearing devices showed solid hearing aids properly and wear
improvements in psychosocial them consistently to stimulate the
and cognitive condition in just brain. Early detection is the key.
three months.
“Most people are not aware when Aaron’s Hearing Care is located
they need help.They’ll often blame at 925 37th Place in Vero Beach.
Phone number is (772)562-5100

Amanda Deppe of Wilke’s 14 Bones BBQ.

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

PETS

Bonzo’s heart afire after meeting fab lab Briar

Hi Dog Buddies! ly. “I have several. I think they go well ‘Let’s GO!!’ Grampa Buzz says I’m cussin’
cuz he’s too slow, but I don’t even know
Briar MacWilliam Sexton, a 6-anna- with my dark coat. So, shall I begin? what that means.”
haff-year-old black lab, totally checks
all the Typical Labrador Re-TREE-ver There’s a lot to tell.” “Any favrite foodstuffs?” I inquired.
boxes: smart, enthusiastic, loyal, sweet- “I get lotsa exercise, but if I want to
nachured, FUN! Plus, I observed, su- Thankfully not waiting for me to maintain my grrlish figure I must also
per mellow, real pretty and charming. eat properly. So I get No Table Scraps or
(Those last two, I might as well admit, reply, she began. Random Treats.”
had me tripping over my paws and for- “Bummer,” I muttered.
getting repeatedly during the innerview, “My (future) Mom, Chandler, was Well, just buh-tween us, me an Emmy
that I am a Professional Journalist and have this arrangement. When she’s eatin’
Happy Bachelor.) just about to GRAD-ju-wait from a she usually gets a liddle, well, untidy, as
2-year-old humans tend to do, so I hafta
Me an my assistant met Miss Briar on college in another state, Ally-BAM- clean up, right?”
the EYE-lun, where she’s Official Office “Ab-so-woofin’-lutely.”
Mascot for a famly bizz-ness that sells uh, an she wanted a puppy as a grad- “Then of course I make the rounds
houses an condos an stuff for humans. upstairs when my fellow employees are
Big ones, liddle ones, all over town. I don’t ju-WAY-shun present. HER mom eatin’ lunch. I innocently sit in front of
know if they sell dog houses, though. them an give them what I like to call my
and dad (Grampa Buzz an Gramma Guilt Stare. It usually works. Also, along
Anyway, Miss Briar greeted us at the Ocean Drive where me an Grampa take
door, approaching for the Wag-an-Sniff Stephanie) thought it was the OPPA- our daily walks, I am quite well known, at
wearin’ a pink monogrammed bandana Cory’s an Sea Coast Bank among others,
anna charmin’ smile. “Woof!” I thought zit of a good idea an they said NO. an it would be impolite to refuse a liddle
to myself, grinnin’ like a Total Doof. something.”
WELL, Mom told her brother Alex, Briar.PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS “Woof, Miss Briar, you have it figured
“Good morning! Miss Briar, I pre- and HE said SURE. out!”
sume? I am Bonzo the, um, the writer, She smiled. “I buh-leeve I do, Mr. Bon-
an this is my, ummm, assistant. Lovely “So Uncle Alex got ME for Mom. zo.”
weather we’re having, doncha think?” Headin’ home, I was still admonishin’
delivering this brilliant greeting whilst I stayed with him about a month till “It IS! However, my most impor- myself for Doofin’ Out with Miss Briar,
simultaneously dropping my notebook. but also smilin’ as I remembered how
Mom ‘kidnapped’ me … (is dognapped tant job, an the most fun, is being guard- charming she had been an how she had
“Good morning, Mr. Bonzo!” Briar said, as we left, “I hope to see you again
gave a small laugh as I nonchalantly re- a word?)” ian of my liddle sister, Emmy Tate Sexton. soon, Mr. Bonzo. Perhaps we could walk
trieved my notebook. “Welcome! It IS on the beach.”
lovely. Perhaps a bit warm. Come’on into “I’m not sure,” I said. She’s 2 in human, which isn’t that much, Sigh.
my office an meet my Grampa MacWil-
liam. I call him Grampa Buzz.” “Anyway, pretty soon me an Mom and I stick to her like a shadow. We play The Bonz

Introductions complete, we got comf- moved back to here. It was an Ad-VEN- an nap and just hang out. We’re Besties.” Don’t Be Shy
tubble and I opened my notebook.
chur an I wasn’t even scared, ridin’ in “You sure are a busy grrrl, Miss Briar!” We are always looking for pets
“I understand you have a very full, ac- with interesting stories.
tive life, Miss Briar,” I said, “and a nice what Mom called a YOU-Hall, all the way “Once, I got to have 15 minutes of
big famly. I’m eager to hear your tail. An To set up an interview, email
by the way,” I heard myself add, “that is a from Ally-BAM-uh. Now I’m considered fame, as humans say (which is 105 min- bonzothecolumnist@gmail.com.
very becoming, um, scarfy thingy you’re
wearin’.” The Famly Dog. When I’m not with Mom utes in dog): I starred on the cover of Vero

“Seriously? Scarfy thingy?” I said to an Dad (he’s Mike), I stay with Gramma Beach Magazine with a beautiful bride
myself. “For Lassie’s sake, get a grip.”
Stephanie an Grampa Buzz, an work all in white, an ME sittin’ in front with
“Why thank you,” Briar replied sweet-
here pretty FREE-quently. I’ve met hun- flowers draped all over!”

dreds of humans an pooches, which I so “I’m impressed!”

much enjoy. But this by no means is all “Also, I am a beach grrrl, Mr. Bonzo.

I do. Me an Grampa Buzz go every evening.

“You See, we have a famly ranch, which I adore swimmin’, an chasin’ my beach

was where I discovered I’m ackshully ball or those tiny crabs. (Those liddle

quite skilled at helpin’ Dad move our big guys are SPEEDY!) Playin’ catch with a

buncha cows: It’s called ‘Roundin’ up the tennis ball or Kong is my No. 1 favrite.

CAT-ell (altho there aren’t any ackshull Not to brag, but I not only catch it, I throw

cats). The grrrls are called cows an the it back!”

boys are called different things duh-pen- “Shut the doghouse door!” I exclaimed.

din’ onna buncha stuff I totally don’t un- “It’s true. I grab it with my mouth, bal-

derstand. I love runnin’ next to Dad when ance it with my snoot, twist my head an

he’s on his horse or his funny vee-hickle sling it.

called a Gator. There’s 800 acres of ranch “When me an Grampa Buzz get home

to run in. Sometimes I pretend I’m a wolf, around 3 and I see him gettin’ into his

wild an free, queen of the pack, running not-work clothes, I get all excited. We’re

across the fields, wind in my ears, free as gonna play CATCH! At the BEACH! If he

the birds. (Until dinnertime, of course.)” doesn’t get goin’ fast enough, I haff to

“That sounds SO excitin’!” I exclaimed. admit, I get impatient. Then I yap/bark,



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

INSIGHT COVER STORY The South Yuba River flows near
Nevada City, Calif. The Idaho-
Maryland Mine is nearby.

The proposed reopening of the Idaho-
Maryland gold mine in California has
spurred protests by residents.

GRASS VALLEY, Calif. – Where the Sacramento Val- ethos and, in many historic places, an economic in line at gluten-free bakeries. Sushi restaurants and
ley steepens into the Sierra Nevada, a long-dormant shift toward tourism are now sharply at odds with wine-tasting rooms occupy the brick-and-balcony
gold mine is showing signs of life. the resumption of gold mining, despite its promise facades of buildings, now restored, that stood dur-
of new jobs. ing the Gold Rush.
The Idaho-Maryland Mine, once the second-
highest-producing gold mine in the nation, was tak- A frontier chic now characterizes many towns that There are craft drinks served at the Golden Gate
en over five years ago by a Nevada corporation that have moved far from the hard-hat lifestyle of hard- Saloon and, across the street from the allegedly
is proposing to reopen it. rock mining. Drawing on their gold-rich history to haunted Holbrooke Hotel, a restaurant is set to open
draw tourists, these antique towns have adopted a called The Little Nugget. From the center of town
The economics are obvious. When the Rise Gold different view of the actual mining, still a potentially rises the spire of a 1940s-era movie theater called the
Corp. bought the Idaho-Maryland Mine in 2017, dirty business. Del Oro – “of gold.”
the average price of gold was $1,260 per ounce. Pro-
jections suggest the average price will increase to “I’ve never met a single person who wants it,” said Susan Love, whose family traveled generations
$1,830 an ounce this year, a record high if those es- Kendell Christianson, 69, who in his retirement fixes ago from Ohio to join the original gold rush here,
timates hold. electronics. “What is the purpose of this? Greed.” put her home with its pine-forest views on the mar-
ket earlier this year, and quickly accepted an offer.
But across California, a strong environmental Today, tourists drawn by the lure of the past stand

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 31

A sign protests the proposed INSIGHT COVER STORY
reopening of the Idaho-Maryland
Mine in Grass Valley, Calif. An example of indigenous
rock art that lines the dirt road
leading to Conglomerate Mesa,
a remote desert wilderness
where a Canadian company is
interested in mining gold. If the
mine project is approved, the
rock art would be destroyed
because the road it sits next to
would have to be widened to al-
low trucks to transport the gold.

But the buyers backed out once they discovered the nually in economic activity, and after bottoming out about whether to open the mine will eventually be
nearby mine might reopen. Now she fears that, at 69, in the early 2000s, the amount of gold mined here made. The county could collect as much as $10 mil-
she is stuck in a home without value. each year has been climbing. lion a year in additional property taxes if the mine is
developed.
“It all comes down to our local politicians and I But the potential for new prospecting has inspired
think a lot of it will come down to money,” said Love, a visible public resistance, a jobs vs. community “Mining is part of Nevada County’s legacy and
a retired preschool teacher. character debate, that at its heart asks whether the there may still be gold in the ground,” said Brian
Golden State really needs gold anymore. Foss, the county’s director of planning. “But the
And as the price of gold skyrockets, shuttered community has grown up around these places, and
hard-rock mines and, further south, remote fault Placards opposing the Idaho-Maryland Mine it will be up to the board of supervisors to decide
lines rich with gold dust, have become coveted tar- mine, stuck into main-street medians and shop- whether this is an appropriate use of this location.”
gets for companies willing to take on community ping-mall landscaping, are visible around town. But
opposition and California’s environmental regula- there is history to contend with. The Idaho-Maryland Mine covers about 175 acres,
tions. some of them partly surrounded by high pines and
In a sign of how deeply it defines the region’s char- fir. Adjacent to a pond, a large cement shaft emerg-
California estimates that mining – excluding fossil acter, an old mine cart marks the entrance to the
fuels – generates more than a half-billion dollars an- county administrative building, where the decision COVER STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 INSIGHT COVER STORY

A monument marks the Idaho-
Maryland Mine's Centennial
Industrial Site in Grass Valley.

Members of the Nevada County
community protest the proposed
reopening of the Idaho-Maryland

Mine on April 22, 2021, in
Grass Valley, Calif.

Downtown Grass Valley, where the “We have to ask ourselves if this
proposed reopening of the nearby is the way we want to be using
Idaho-Maryland Mine has spurred our most precious resource,”
protests by residents. said South Yuba River Citizens
League Executive Director
Melinda Booth, shown along the
South Yuba River near Nevada
City, Calif. on April 26. “I think
the community says no.”

es from one corner of the main mine Pearl Harbor sought to shift mining re- would be felt as well as seen. While ground blasting would be conducted
site, where rock was once hauled from sources toward metals such as copper covering far less ground on the sur- in those seams, but would still likely
hundreds of feet underground to be that were essential to the war effort. face, the mine could expand to 2,585 be felt in some nearby homes and
cracked open for gold. The mine reopened after the war, but acres underground, the limit of the buildings above ground.
never achieved the same productivity company’s mineral rights, although
It produced 2.4 million ounces of before it closed again in 1956. the prime gold deposits are concen- Rise Gold Corp. is seeking an 80-
gold before being shut down in 1942 by trated in smaller areas. The under- year permit from the board to operate
the U.S. government, which following If it were to reopen now, the mine the mine around-the-clock seven days

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 33

INSIGHT COVER STORY

a week, a testament to just how much In Nevada City, the county seat as decades later and, in 1964, sold the use them as fishing weights or sling-
gold it believes remains in the ground. close to the mine site as Grass Val- land it had set aside for the tribe. shot stones.
ley, there is an equally picturesque
“If you could put this mine back in downtown with saloons and lattes and Shelly Covert, who runs the mu- “It was laying around everywhere,”
production as it was when it closed, boutiques. There is also a storefront seum, has been seeking restoration she said. “It was just kind of useless.”
it would be one of the top gold mines museum. Its exhibit is called, simply, of the tribe’s federal status and the
in the world,” said Ben Mossman, the “Erased.” land since she was old enough to hear Among the exhibits in the muse-
company’s chief executive, who dis- stories about its loss. Her family has um hall is one dedicated to the Gold
plays a series of core samples in his of- The 1848 discovery of gold here helped lead the tribe for generations. Rush, when roughly 300,000 prospec-
fice here bearing thick seams of gold. overwhelmed the native people – the tors arrived in and around Grass Val-
“This is a major mine.” Nisenan – and a population of roughly “We don’t really have a voice,” Co- ley, displacing the Nisenan, spreading
9,000 at the time is now a loose diaspo- vert said. “The exhibit is called ‘Erased’ disease and stealing land they quickly
The company’s goal would be to ex- ra numbering just under 150 people. for a reason.” degraded with high-intensity mining.
tract about 1,000 tons of gold-bearing
rock a day. Mossman said he expects In 1913, the federal government As a child, Covert, now 55, recalls “The land is just coming back after
that annual revenue would exceed granted the Nevada City Rancheria her family recounting how her ances- decades of this, with a lot of hand-
$190 million, or about 4 percent of the Nisenan tribal status and land. But the tors had no use for gold. Then, the sto- holding,” Covert said. “It always feels
county’s economy. government removed that status a few ries go, nuggets were so plentiful you un-American to oppose jobs, jobs,
could pick them up off the ground and jobs. But at what cost?” 
“We really don’t know how much gold
there is and what the grade will be,” he
said. “More work needs to be done. But
we have a historic rate of production to
go by.”

Mossman said the project would
bring more than 300 new jobs into the
community, but the company will not
be building housing in a market that
is very tight. It is one major concern –
the stress on an already-tight housing
market – held by those who live here.

Opponents also cite potential traf-
fic problems and the environmental
risks associated with an industry that
uses arsenic, mercury and other tox-
ic chemicals in gold processing. Rise
Gold Corp. would be responsible for
cleaning up one highly polluted part
of the mine site, the legacy of a pre-
vious operator, at a cost of about $3
million.

Mossman said there would be safe-
guards in place to prevent similar
problems. Much of that is the subject
of a thousand-plus page environmen-
tal report that county supervisors are
using to guide their decision, which
could come before the end of the year.

“There used to be a big difference
in regulations between California and
other states,” Mossman said. “But that
has narrowed, as the regulatory bur-
den has increased in other jurisdic-
tions, and made California much more
attractive for projects like this.”

This part of the Sierra foothills is fire
country, and the valley that falls away
toward the South Yuba River is bone
dry. The Idaho-Maryland Mine has
raised concerns about water – an un-
known number of private-home wells
are predicted to run dry because of
mining use near the site itself, in addi-
tion to the potential chemical spillover
from its ponds that could make its way
into a highly popular river system.

“We have to ask ourselves if this is the
way we want to be using our most pre-
cious resource,” said Melinda Booth,
executive director of the South Yuba
River Citizens League, a nonprofit that
advocates on behalf of and helps main-
tain a river that draws nearly a million
visitors a year. “I think the community
says no.”

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

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

BY ADAM MINTER Tourist ship Le Commandant Charcot mously noted, “No one will protect what they don’t
care about; and no one will care about what they
Are crowded airports and hotels ruining your of unique tourist ships entering the Arctic increased have never experienced.”
summer vacation plans? A cruise to the North Pole from 77 to 104. The capacity of those ships, on an
on the world's first and only luxury icebreaker might annual basis, grew from 74,177 to 91,166. Those are The Arctic needs people to care about it. Sea ice
be just the antidote. modest numbers – more people visited Venice over will continue melting, perhaps at a quickening rate,
Easter weekend, after all – but the steady growth is well into the future. The Arctic Council – the non-
The custom-built tourist ship Le Commandant drawing concern about tourism and overtourism. binding organization of eight Arctic nations that
Charcot plowed through sea ice on July 13 to make could advance reasonable tourist regulations – is
its first successful passenger voyage to the top of the There are good reasons to worry. In the event of a faltering because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Earth. More sailings are scheduled through the end fuel spill, sewage leak or other accident, there’s little
of summer, with tickets starting around $40,000 per infrastructure available to clean up a mess. Larger Tourists, even those who can afford $126,000 tick-
passenger and topping out at $126,000. cruise ships mean more human impact on wildlife ets on luxury icebreakers, can’t by themselves stop
hotspots, altering animal behavior and potentially climate change and habitat deterioration. But they
There’s no shortage of takers for the 245 slots trampling flora and scarce habitats. are not powerless, either. Over the past century, af-
aboard. This summer, at least 57,000 cruise passen- fluent tourists committed to wild places have played
gers will arrive at Longyearbyen, the Norwegian ar- Finally, Arctic tourists and operators can’t ignore a crucial role in preservation, from the forests of Ne-
chipelago from which Le Commandant Charcot and their climate impact. In 2016, carbon emissions as- pal to the early years of the now wildly popular US
many other Arctic cruises sail. sociated with tourism transportation (planes, ships, national park system.
cars and other conveyances) represented about 5%
The environmental risks of polar adventure tour- of total global emissions. Emissions contribute to The Arctic and its supporters could do worse than
ism are substantial, including the possibility of pol- global warming and the melting of sea, creating more to befriend luxury-loving elites wowed by the sea ice
lution. But if managed sustainably, tourist cruises opportunities to cruise in the Arctic. It’s a wicked on the way to the North Pole.
can help build support for Arctic conservation and feedback loop that serves to encourage even more
climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. tourism, especially from affluent tourists in search of That doesn’t mean cruise companies should get a
vanishing landscapes. free pass on how they conduct themselves at the top
The Arctic has long drawn tourists. Decades be- of the world. A trade association, the Association of
fore the first successful expedition to the North Pole, But the potential for harm should be seen as a rea- Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, has developed
they were exploring the Scandinavian Arctic, enjoy- son to manage Arctic cruises wisely, not to shame sustainability guidelines for Arctic cruises, and rep-
ing the fjords and the mountaineering, hunting and and halt them. For over a century, conservation of resents and certifies most Arctic cruise operators.
fishing expeditions enabled by indigenous guides in wild places and the environment has entailed en-
the early 19th century. suring a steady supply of visitors. Those visitors not Among other requirements, tourist cruises are ex-
only create economic incentives for preserving the pected to contribute to science and research while
Steamships created the market for Arctic cruises, shrinking wilderness, they also create constituen- running clean, sustainable ships. Le Commandant
including, eventually, visits to Alaskan destinations, cies that want to protect them. Charcot, owned by the French cruise operator Com-
Iceland and Greenland. By the early 1900s, Arctic pagnie du Ponant, is equipped with two science lab-
tours were a thriving business, boosted by guide- Sir David Attenborough, the famed British natu- oratories and several scientists (who also provide lec-
books and breathless media coverage. ralist and TV personality, put it best when he fa- tures to the passengers) and can serve as an example
to other Arctic shipbuilders and tour operators.
Technology made Arctic exploration progressively
easier, and 52 icebreakers made it to the North Pole As the world warms, a trip to the Arctic will be an
between 1977 and 2004. Thirteen of those voyages expensive luxury. But it’s a ticket that might lead hu-
were devoted to scientific research; the remaining manity toward a cooler future. 
39 were for tourists.
A version of this article first appeared on Bloom-
Over the last decade, the retreat of the Arctic Ocean berg. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Vero
and a lengthening summer have further boosted Beach 32963.
Arctic cruising. Between 2013 and 2019, the number

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 35

INSIGHT OP-ED

When JetBlue cancels Amy Ohman's an email from JetBlue canceling our cancel our trip entirely. JetBlue paid for think it should, for consistency's sake,
flight to Boston, it agrees to pay for her flight and rebooking us the next day. our ride back home. refund your original ride to the airport.
Uber ride to the airport. Then the air-
line cancels her flight again. This time, When we arrived at the airport, we But we are still out the cost of the So why didn't it?
it refuses to reimburse her. Is there a way went directly to the help desk. They con- original Uber that we took for our vaca- I reviewed the paper trail between
to get JetBlue to refund her $71 fare? firmed our rebooking, apologized for tion to nowhere. JetBlue will not accept you and JetBlue. It looks like the air-
the inconvenience and arranged trans- our receipt for the ride to the airport. line agreed to refund your ticket and
QUESTION: portation to get us home and back to Can you help me get our $71 fare re- a voucher for your ride home. But it
the airport. So our out-of-pocket Uber funded? would not compensate you for the
My husband and I were scheduled to cost for transportation to Logan airport Uber ride, noting that, "We do not ac-
fly from Boston Logan Airport to Palm became, in effect, our cost to return to ANSWER: cept receipts with information that
Beach, Florida, recently. We took an the airport the next day. do not match the affected date on the
Uber to the airport and while we were JetBlue is not liable for your trans- claim." But your dates did match.
in the car on the Mass Pike, we received The next day, JetBlue canceled our portation costs to and from the air- Like most other companies, airlines
flight again, also while we were in our port under its contract of carriage, the don't want to pay questionable claims.
Uber on our way to the airport. We legal agreement between you and the So it looks like JetBlue wanted more doc-
went to the help desk, where a repre- airline. But since the airline acknowl- umentation before reimbursing you. If it
sentative told us that they could not re- edged responsibility for the cancella- had only bothered to read your email,
book us on any other flights. We had to tion and covered both trips home, I then you'd have your refund by now.
I list the names, numbers and emails
of JetBlue's customer service managers
on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.
org. I recommended that you reach out
to them, and you did. You provided the
airline with the information it wanted
to process your claim, and it finally did.
You received the requested refund. 
Get help with any consumer prob-
lem by contacting Christopher Elliott at
http://www.elliott.org/help





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

INSIGHT BOOKS

On Sept. 25, 1978, an un- formation which would reputation for tenacious suspicion, if not paranoia,
manned sailboat ran aground detract from [Paisley’s] became legendary. The relentlessness of their pur-
on the shore of the Chesa- record of outstanding suit of Nosenko drove a wedge through the agency
peake Bay. The cabin was in performance in faith- – those who believed in the Master Plot (Nosenko as
disarray, and papers marked ful service to his coun- plant) and those who took to calling it the Monster
“Top Secret” were found, along try,” then promptly Plot. Bagley is the hero of Blum’s book, but he may
with a phone directory filled classified the full re- not be everyone’s hero – Nosenko’s brutal debriefing,
with 351-prefix numbers, a for instance, can make for queasy reading. But his
classified CIA exchange. As port. The committee’s Ahab-like quest is certainly the driving force here.
veteran investigative reporter counsel, who had di- No need for car chases; there is enough suspense
Howard Blum tells it in his in- rected the investiga- in poring over transcripts, finding a discrepancy of
triguing new book, “The Spy tion, said: “Chances dates, the inevitable slip that will trap the enemy.
Who Knew Too Much: An Ex-CIA are we will never
Officer’s Quest Through a Legacy understand the out- If he is the enemy. I wouldn’t presume to spoil
of Betrayal,” things then moved come of the case. It is Blum’s carefully woven narrative by revealing what
quickly. The boat’s owner turned a mystery.” And that Bagley finds – except to say it’s all plausible and per-
out to be John Arthur Paisley, suasive, though the CIA probably wouldn’t agree.
later described by the agency as a was (and officially Conclusive proof may not be possible anymore.
“low-level analyst.” is) that. Much is made, rightly, of Bagley’s meetings with for-
mer KGB officers after the Berlin Wall came down in
A week later a corpse was dis- Or it would have ’89, long evenings with old war stories and reminis-
covered floating in the bay, identi- been if Pete Bagley, cences, some of them useful and confirming. And,
fied by the chief medical examiner one of Paisley’s old after all, the KGB should know. But they’re the KGB,
as Paisley. Cause of death: suicide. CIA colleagues, and before you know it, you find yourself – in Angle-
Never mind that the examiner’s of- hadn’t found in this ton’s phrase, borrowed from T.S. Eliot – “in a wilder-
fice did not receive the corpse until mystery a possible ness of mirrors.”
the day after his report. Never mind puzzle piece to a
that the autopsy listed a 5-foot-7, larger mystery he Still, the real pleasure of this book is not the so-
144-pound male, while Paisley’s Merchant Marine lution but the puzzle. By going back and forth in
records had him as 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. Never was trying to solve. time, Blum cleverly makes his pieces part of agency
mind that the fatal gunshot wound was behind the Retired in Brussels, where he had been sta- folklore, terrific stories in their own right. This is the
left ear and Paisley was right-handed. Never mind tion chief, and operating without official sanction, Cold War at high noon, missiles loaded, when spies
that the FBI and the CIA claimed to have no finger- he went on a paper chase to find not only the truth were the front-line troops. If you have even a pass-
prints on file (of a CIA employee). A few days later, about Paisley but how it might fit into his deepest ing interest in the period, the book will be catnip. It’s
the body was cremated, before Paisley’s wife viewed fear: that the agency had been penetrated by a high- all here: the dead drops, the surveillance, the honey
it. And that was that. level mole. traps, the disillusioned Joes, the office politics, the
Too many things had gone wrong over the years. martinis. The period details are so atmospheric and
Or it would have been if an enterprising reporter Just a year before Paisley’s disappearance, an opera- rich that it would be no surprise to see Kim Philby
from Wilmington, Del., hadn’t followed up and bro- tion in Moscow was blown in what Bagley consid- make a guest appearance. There is even a recruit-
ken the story, with all its inconsistencies, which in ered highly suspicious circumstances, another jig- ment scene in a steam bath in Bogotá (what novelist
turn was picked up – and picked apart – by the na- saw piece perhaps. “The Spy Who Knew Too Much” would dare?). It would be easy to get lost in all this,
tional press. Official explanations went from evasive is the story of that chase, going all the way back to but Blum lays out his pieces clearly, and entertain-
to far-fetched. The corpse had been wrapped in div- the beginning, the 1962 defection by Yuri Nosenko, ingly. He has important background matters on his
ing belts weighing 38 pounds. The Maryland State who Bagley became convinced was a KGB plant and mind – the self-protective culture of the agency, for
Police theorized that Paisley had wrapped himself in whose exhaustive debriefing (all two years of it) instance – but, like Bagley, he never loses sight of the
in the belts, then leaped from the side of the boat, Bagley hoped to find the Rosetta stone, the clue that main story. Let’s go back to the transcript. Who was
reaching across his chest while in midair and shoot- would explain everything. He didn’t, and the attempt Paisley? Start there. 
ing himself. damaged his career.
Bagley was one of the agency’s postwar gentleman THE SPY WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Not surprisingly, the story refused to go away. Had spies (his uncle, Fleet Adm. Bill Leahy, one of the
Paisley been murdered, or had he taken his own life, founding fathers of the Central Intelligence Group, AN EX-CIA OFFICER’S QUEST THROUGH A LEGACY OF BETRAYAL
or had he simply gone to ground somewhere (and the CIA’s predecessor, made the recommendation
why)? The Senate Intelligence Committee conduct- call to his friend Rear Adm. Roscoe Hillenkoet- BY HOWARD BLUM | HARPER. 352PP. $28.99.
ed an inquiry and in 1980 said it had found “no in- ter, then CIA director, and Pete was approved) and REVIEW BY JOSEPH KANON, THE WASHINGTON POST
had been a protege of James Angleton, whose own

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 39

INSIGHT BRIDGE

THE UNUSUAL HAPPENS ON UNUSUAL DEALS WEST NORTH EAST
KQ975 3 J 10 8 4 2
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist AK54 63 J 10 9
K Q 10 3 AJ64 87
Chuck Jones, who won three Oscars for his work on animated features, said, “Comedy — AQ7532 J 10 4
is unusual people in real situations; farce is real people in unusual situations.”
SOUTH
This deal features an unusual result. Can you spot what that is? A6
Q872
The board was played 17 times at Bridge Base Online. Unexpectedly, the final contract 952
was a partscore 12 times. Two East-West pairs got to four spades, and two Norths K986
sacrificed in five clubs doubled, which looks like it should have gone down one, but
weirdly went down three (minus 800) and down four (minus 1100). Dealer: North; Vulnerable: Both

If I had had to guess the auction, I would have started as in the diagram, then, over The Bidding:
West’s second double, I would have predicted a pass by North, a three-spade advance
by East, and a who-knows four spades from West. SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Clubs Pass
At one table, though, North realized that his hand had more potential than the usual 1 Hearts Dbl. 2 Clubs Pass LEAD:
11-count because there seemed to be at least seven tricks in three no-trump: one 3 Clubs Dbl. ?? K Spades
diamond and six clubs. So North continued with three diamonds. Then South, with
stoppers in both majors and thinking his partner had a strong hand, bid three no-trump.

West doubled again, but North-South stood their ground. After the spade-king lead,
South took his eight winners and conceded down one. In theory, minus 200 was a great
result with the opponents cold for five spades, worth 650 points.

It is very unusual that three no-trump is a good sacrifice. But with a long, running suit,
you will win more tricks than the point-count would suggest.

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3920 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach FL 32960

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

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JULY 21) ON PAGE 60

ACROSS DOWN
1 Terrors (7) 1 Welcoming (10)
5 Manage (4) 2 Clothing (7)
7 Rinse (5) 3 Leer (4)
8 Arbitrary (6) 4 Shriek (6)
10 Thought (4) 5 Disdain (8)
11 Unthinking (8) 6 Ring (5)
13 Shrewd (6) 9 Appraisal (10)
14 Narcotic (6) 12 Staunch (8)
17 Publican (8) 15 Greed (7)
19 Disallows (4) 16 Emergency (6)
21 Ministers (6) 18 Innocent (5)
22 Poppycock (5) 20 Agitate (4)
23 Optimal (4)
24 Snake (7)

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 41

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS shoot the 8-ball, Tarzan?” 45 Arm restraint The Washington Post
1 Jets on screens 96 German article 46 Dog restraint
6 Honeydew cousin 97 Poughkeepsie campus 48 Pays or Plummer INTERVIEW WITH TARZAN By Merl Reagle
12 Florida tree 100 Dresses up (as) 49 Church seat
16 Pericardium, e.g. 101 “What was your first thought 50 1985 Holocaust epic
19 Mr. Goldfinger 51 Bay at the moon
20 Exonerating factors after your balloon ride, 52 Greek letter
21 Melville opus Tarzan?” 55 Famed Egyptian, briefly
22 “Come again?” 106 Maiden deities 56 Mimi’s century
23 “How come you know 109 Kin of ahs 58 “Johnny Yuma
110 Shout to urge on the hounds
so much about the legal 112 “So ___ noticed” was ___”
system, Tarzan?” 113 They’re placed in papers 59 Director Bunuel
25 “How did you know the 116 “How’s your little furry friend, 61 Folkways prefix
hunter had a knife, Tarzan?” Tarzan?” 65 Iran refinery city
27 Fukuoka moola 119 “What’s the first thing you do 67 Community club member
28 ___ out a victory when you buy a new house, 68 Walk of Fame sight
29 Puts into effect Tarzan?” 69 High-minded,
31 Certain solo 123 Lennon’s mate
32 Sock pattern 124 Certain troupe member as a gesture
35 “What do you do when the 125 Locomotive 70 Roll’s partner
light changes, Tarzan?” 126 How perishables might be 71 ___ one’s brains
38 Superagent Michael packed 72 Abbr. on a CD
41 Figurative expressions 127 Koppel of Nightline 73 Superficial, as talk
43 Hunan need 128 Daddy-o 76 Pall monitor?
44 “What would you do if a fire 129 Joined (up with) 77 Trophy, e.g.
broke out, Tarzan?” 130 Noted teller of tales 78 Dexter’s extension
47 Hoglike mammal 80 Livens (with “up”)
50 That girl DOWN 82 Seeks knowledge
53 Quarterback Manning 1 Coddle 83 Much merriment
54 “Vive ___!” 2 Attraction 84 Stuff you stuff yourself with
55 “Why aren’t you taking 3 Numbered club 86 Exposed
pictures, Tarzan?” 4 Indy area 87 Parking garage floor
57 Missouri city 5 Sonata movements 89 “For restful death ___”
60 A “Riverdance” dance 6 Singer Mariah
62 Piercing tool 7 Ms. MacGraw (Shak.)
63 Farming state 8 Moral misdeed 94 Mad maiden of drama fame
64 Charges 9 ___-bodied 95 Comic Bill’s nickname
66 Arctic bird 10 White, in Italian 96 Floating particles
68 Arctic mammal 11 Buzzing (with) 98 Full of baloney
69 “How come you and Jane 12 Hitching spots 99 Everett of Citizen Kane
don’t skinny-dip in the 101 Beckett character
backyard anymore, (anagrammatically speaking) 102 Mr. Arledge
Tarzan?” 13 Accumulate 103 Burns film
73 Large amounts 14 Temperature extreme 104 Curly’s replacement
74 By and by 15 Besiege 105 Walks in water
75 Ankle-related 16 Split, as dessert 107 Dug for gold
76 Dresden’s river 17 Movie Murphy 108 Plastic pipe used by Blue
77 Band follower? 18 Be unfaithful
79 Manilow’s club 24 Heart tracing, briefly Man Group
81 Land 26 Bird or escapade 111 Popular lingerie brand
85 “What happened 30 ___ Rica 113 “No returns” condition
when you sat on that 32 Had dinner 114 Art ___
whoopee cushion, Tarzan?” 33 Truth twister 115 Resign, with “down”
88 Writer Jong 34 Sewer worker of old TV 117 Cute cutup
90 Extremist org. of 36 Vanilla fudge effect 118 S.A. resort
the ’70s 37 One-third of a war film 120 James’s Vertigo co-star
91 Pres. nickname 38 Has a payment booklet 121 Benedict’s follower?
92 Golf great Stewart 39 Singer Jerry 122 Its root is itself
93 “What should I do before I 40 Paar memoir, ___ You Not
42 1965 film, Once Before ___

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

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Husband is upset that daughter has dropped his last name

BY CAROLYN HAX What’s in a Name?: Please point out to him that band is smarting, yes, but you’re both trees falling
Washington Post you, thanks to your own experience in a paternal- in a forest debating how loud you each were.
istic culture, didn’t have to make any adjustment to
Dear Carolyn: When my hus- being erased. Because you’re so darn used to it. Your husband will have to suck it up and deal in
band and I married, I kept my last the end, because that’s the end of all these child-
name, and when we had children, As gratifying as it is to make a political issue of grows-up-and-makes-own-choices stories. Good,
we simply gave them both our last this, though, it’s already been needlessly politicized. bad, neutral. And your daughter is sending him
names, with my last name in the What both of your children are doing is normal kid that message through her “strong feminist streak,”
middle and his last. stuff. They are figuring themselves out and making because, like almost every child, she is a certifiable
My son, who is older, basically has dropped the mid- choices that are beyond the reach of their parents’ genius at knowing how best to deliver that message
dle name and just uses his dad’s last name, which is preferences, ideologies, corrective measures and to each parent at maximum velocity.
fine with me, but my daughter, who is in high school, long-cherished visions. You’re shrugging, your hus-
has now decided to drop her dad’s last name and use Not that her views are for show; they can be real
mine. She says she likes it better. and valid and still be deployed strategically, devel-
For context, she has a strong feminist streak, and opmentally, to differentiate herself from her par-
although I have not encouraged her to do this, I don’t ents.
have a problem with it either. I feel as if it’s her choice.
Her dad, however, feels as though it is a rejection So if he’s receptive to words that are more use-
of him and his family. Her view is that she likes the ful than reassuring, feel free to tell your husband
sound of my last name better, and it’s a way of stick- that, in so valuing his name as a symbol of himself
ing it to the patriarchy. And although I am secretly and family, he may have handed his daughter the
proud and honored by her gumption, I also am trying means by which she could declare her indepen-
to keep the peace between her and her dad. dence – and if he wants to keep her as close to him
I think, in the end, her dad is going to have to learn as possible, his smartest move is to drop the issue
to suck it up and deal, but is there any way to broker completely and trust his love and authority to exist
some peace here? He is really upset, and she dismisses independently of their trappings.
it as toxic masculinity. For what it’s worth, he is pretty
progressive when it comes to women’s rights, but he is If he’s not, then stick to making sympathetic
also from a deeply paternalistic culture, so I am sure sounds – “This is hard for you, I know” – or to re-
it’s an adjustment for him. minding him that it’s an accomplishment, yours
and his, to raise a child with her own beliefs and the
– What’s in a Name? strength to stand up for them. Or urge him to model
maturity and leadership by being patient in his re-
sponses to her. Ahem. Power struggles and peace-
making rarely bring power or peace. 

‘DISTINCT STYLE’

SUSAN RIENZO’S ART QUILTS
ARE EXTRA SPECIAL

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

‘DISTINCT STYLE’ARTS&THEATRE
SUSAN RIENZO’S ART QUILTS ARE EXTRA SPECIAL

BY DEBBIE TIMMERMANN | CORRESPONDENT Susan Rienzo.

While textile art, also known as fi- PHOTOS BY JOSHUA KODIS
ber art, essentially dates back thou-
sands of years, it is only more recently
that it has become recognized as an
art form at museums and galleries.
Locally, some of the best examples
can be seen in the works of Vero Beach
artist Susan Rienzo.

The artform involves choosing pieces
of fabric, often just small bits, before
sewing them into shapes and forms
whose designs, colors and patterns dis-
play a depth and intensity equal to con-
temporary museum paintings.

Rienzo, who says she has sewing in
her genes, and her husband, a retired
landscape architect, moved to Vero
Beach in 2005 from Brooklyn, N.Y. The
decision was a great one, especially after
discovering “the extraordinarily sup-
portive and friendly artistic communi-

ty, which I found totally unexpectedly.” There is also a cartoon portrait of herself
The couple designed and built their which she made when they first moved
to Vero and continued to add on to. In it,
home on a piece of property they loved. she says, “I have my house, my kids, my
She says she only wishes they could dog; it all just came out.”
add on to the house, as their life here
has taken on bigger proportions than Both of Rienzo’s immigrant grand-
they had imagined. fathers were tailors in the 1930s, and
her father was a marker in a dress fac-
Their vibrant home is awash in bold tory; marking proposed patterns onto
colors; from a bold, pink neon sign (made fabrics to ensure they would fit and
by her daughter who markets them in line up properly. He was also an ama-
Miami) on a bright red wall, to an assort- teur photographer, who inspired her
ment of multi-colored wall hangings in a own love of photography.
wide range of patterns and colors.
Growing up in a creative environ-
Hanging above her living room sofa, ment, she loved her box of crayons,
Rienzo’s “Sunshine State of Mind” could and sewing. “Sewing came to me
hold its own in the Museum of Modern in the third grade; girls were taught
Art, as would “Sunshine Memories.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 45

ARTS & THEATRE

how to sew back then,” says Rienzo. Her process involves cutting out “A piece of an image from a previ- to add things that make her smile.
She considered becoming a fashion pieces of fabric in colors and patterns ous project gives a glimmer of an im- “Hopefully, the viewer will smile also.
that she “obsessively saves down to age which draws the viewer in to look
designer and earned a two-year de- one inch in size.” They are then ap- further at it,” says Rienzo, who likes Now that I’ve found my own voice in
gree at the Fashion Institute of Tech- plied using a combination of fusing, what I do, it goes faster than it used to.
nology in New York. Still unsure of her collage, raw-edged applique, painting So many ideas. I don’t know which one
calling, she attended two more years and mark making. She says she mainly to start with. The fun is in the discovery.”
of college, switching from home eco- works with commercial fabrics, in ad-
nomics, which required the dreaded dition to batiks and hand-dyed fabrics. Rienzo has exhibited nationwide and
chemistry, to art. internationally, as well as locally at Gal-
As with any true artist, inspiration lery 14, the Vero Beach Art Club Annex,
It took just one art class to convince comes from everywhere, including the Elliot Museum in Stuart and the Fifth
her, “This is for me!” says Rienzo, who re- other artists, fashion trends, topogra- Avenue Gallery in Melbourne, where
ceived a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic phy, photography, the natural world two of her works have been accepted for
design from the University of Georgia, and the fabric itself. the upcoming “Textile Trends” exhibit,
where she also met her husband. opening Aug. 1. She also recently stepped
“I’m inspired by illustration styles, into a teaching role at the Lighthouse Art
Rienzo worked as a graphic designer indigenous designs and colorful com- Center in Tequesta. 
in New York, and after their daugh- mercial products,” says Rienzo. She
ter was born, began exploring vari- adds that her love of children’s art and
ous crafts. After making a quilt for her illustration began with the Richard
daughter, she started studying the sub- Scarry books that she read to her chil-
ject and joined a newly formed quilt dren when they were little.
guild. The popular Amish quilts of the
1980s were “a big inspiration” as well. “Illustrations for children are so full
of joy. I love the expressive spirit of chil-
Her long fiber art journey began with dren’s art.”
traditional Log Cabin quilts, before ex-
ploring other techniques of the craft, Additionally, Rienzo comments that
which consists of three layers: fabric, she was inspired by an exhibition of
batting and backing. Pieces are then monumental sculptures by Louise Nev-
sewn (she uses a standard sewing ma- elson (1899 to 1988).
chine), finished and signed.
“Her composites of found elements
Describing the “free motion stitch- was quilt-like. I was inspired by how
ing” approach, Rienzo says, “It’s draw- she struggled and created, gathering
ing with thread.” found objects for her art,” says Rienzo.
“For me, how to merge disparate de-
Commenting on the growth of fabric sign elements took a lot of introspec-
art as an art form, she explains that the tion and time. Now my colorful quirki-
Art Quilt Movement began in Califor- ness has given me my distinct style
nia in the early 1960s, before eventually and is very rewarding.”
spreading throughout the country.
Working intuitively, Rienzo is con-
In 1986, quilt historian and cura- stantly pushing the boundary of her
tor Penny McMorris and quilt dealer craft and trying new things. Her col-
and publisher Michael Kile organized lages, which have evolved over the past
an Art Quilt Exhibition at the Whit- five years, now lean toward abstract and
ney Museum in New York City. It was contemporary wall hangings.
then that the term ‘art quilt’ was first
applied, intending for the exhibits to Entering competitions and shows
be seen as works of visual art, distinct from California to the East Coast, Rien-
from traditional bed quilts. zo says it pleases her that textile arts
quilts are now being shown alongside
Today, the Studio Art Quilt Associ- other art and are increasingly being ac-
ates, Inc., a global nonprofit organiza- cepted as an art form.
tion of more than 4,000 artists, cura-
tors, collectors and art professionals, At the current Summer Squared ex-
strives to promote the recognition of hibit at Gallery 14, on display through
art quilts as a universally respected Sept. 2, Rienzo says she found the artist
fine art medium. There are two levels owners very accepting.
of membership, Artist Member and Ju-
ried Artist Member. Rienzo has earned “I sold a lot of pieces there. It is unique
the latter. in textile art to use the conversation fab-
rics; something I’ve developed.”
Rienzo discovered the art form in
1982, embracing and evolving her own Explaining her process, Rienzo says
signature style as one that is colorful, she begins with a vision, pushing various
whimsical artwork that brings joy. fabric scraps around on a background
fabric, until deciding what to create.
Currently immersed in collages and
abstracts, Rienzo, a self-certified fab-
ric junkie, has a closet filled with all
variety of fabrics in varied colors and
designs. She also employs “conversa-
tion” fabrics (also called juvenile fab-
rics) which have printed (illustration)
designs.

Rienzo says her color palette changed
to bright colors when she moved south,
explaining: “The sun, the blues of the
ocean, it’s all inspirational to me.”

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

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! ‘Back to School’ fest stuffed with fun, prizes, info

BY PAM HARBAUGH
Correspondent

1 This will get your head spin-
ning. There will be a back-to-

school event this weekend at Indian

River Mall. Yes, a new school year ap-

proaches. The mall’s “Back to School

and Indoor VendorFest” runs 10 a.m.

to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 30. There will

be free school physicals and wellness

screenings by the VNA Mobile Health

Clinic, across from the Food Court. A

parent or guardian needs to be pres-

ent for the physical if the child is under

the age of 18 years. Your child can also

learn about bike safety with activities

presented by the Indian River County

Sheriff’s Office. Maximum Velocity

Gymnastics will present free demon-

strations. Visit booths run by vendors

and nonprofit groups. You can drop screenings, call 772-567-5551 or visit events throughout the year. While the Fees are $55 per golfer or $330 for a pri-
VNATC.com. Back to School Family Fun Day runs vate tee-box for teams of six. For more
off new donations at Guest Services for only a couple of hours, LaPorte’s regular information, call 772-569-9788 or visit
hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and MHAIRC.org.
the “Help Kids Succeed” group which 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. It is closed
for major holidays, private weddings
is holding a school supply and back- 2 LaPorte Farms will hold its 7th and parties, and inclement weather. It
Annual Back to School Family Fun is handicapped-accessible and service
pack drive to help out students in need. dogs are welcomed. You can purchase
hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and onion
And you can register to win free prizes. Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July rings as well as soft drinks. LaPorte 4 Rescued dogs and cats from
Farms is at 7700 129th St., Sebastian. H.A.L.O. pet rescue organi-
The drawing for that will be at 4 p.m. 30. There will be finger printing for chil- Admission is via donation. For more
information, call 772-633-0813 or visit
And, raffles will be held to benefit the dren, face painting, pony rides, corn bin LaPorteFarms.com. zation turn abstract artists for the

Humane Society of Vero Beach. In ad- and so much more. A book bag giveaway second annual “Pawcasso” exhibi-

dition to all this, you can participate in will be held at 1 p.m. If you’ve never tion running Saturday afternoon at

the OneBlood blood drive which will been to LaPorte Farms, this is a good in- the Steve Diossy Marine Art Gallery.

run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the bus outside troduction to it. LaPorte Farms is a pet- The event benefits H.A.L.O., which

the mall. Donors will receive a $20 e- ting farm in Sebastian. It sits on a 5-acre stands for “Helping Animals Live

gift card and a OneBlood towel. It also estate. Currently, it has a wide array of and Overcome.” The organization

includes a wellness checkup including animals you can pet, including alpacas, was created in 2006 and, according

blood pressure, pulse, temperature, miniature horses, chickens, rabbits, to its website, has “reduced eutha-

iron count and cholesterol screen- pot-bellied pigs, a zebra, a donkey and 3 The Mental Health Association nasia by 92 percent.” Each work sold
of Indian River County will hold
ing. Appointments are encouraged so many more. There are $5 pony rides at Pawcasso comes with a certificate

for donating blood. Visit OneBlood. daily. You can also help feed the ani- a “64th Birthday Par-Tee” golfing event of authenticity and a picture of the

org/donate-now and use sponsor code mals, but do not bring in your own food next Wednesday, Aug. 3. It includes animal artist. In addition, Diossy is

68746. The Indian River Mall is located to give them. LaPorte regulates what two hours of golf, unlimited appetizers donating to H.A.L.O. a portion of his

at 6200 20th St., Vero Beach. Call Nikki the animals eat and sells animal food

at 954-815-3083 or visit IndianRiver- bags. There’s a fishing hole and plenty of

Mall.com. For more information about opportunities for fun photos. The non-

the free school physicals and health profit organization has many cheery

and soft drinks served up in the party work sold that afternoon. The event
room. That’s where you’ll also find the runs 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July
cash bar, a huge birthday cake, raffles 30, at Steve Diossy Marine Art Gal-
and more. The event runs 5:30 p.m. lery, 3247 Ocean Dr., Vero Beach.
to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, at Big Call 772-205-2973 or visit HaloRes-
Shots Golf, 3456 U.S. 1, Vero Beach. cueFl.org. 

NEW VISION TEAM ADDS
GLAUCOMA SPECIALIST

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

HEALTH

New Vision team adds glaucoma specialist/cataract surgeon

BY KERRY FIRTH Dr. Scott Piette. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS era. The front of the eye is
Correspondent the lens that focuses the
light. In the back of the eye
Dr. Scott Piette couldn’t be hap- is the retina which is like
pier in his new position at the Glau- the film of the camera cap-
coma Institute at New Vision Eye turing that picture. Then
Center. The board-certified, fel- it has to be taken to our
lowship-trained glaucoma special- computer – our brain. That
ist and cataract surgeon was aware is done through the optic
of New Vision’s stellar reputation nerve.
and jumped at the opportunity to
join the practice. Now he’s “having “The optic nerve takes
a blast” as he puts it, treating pa- all that information back
tients at New Vision’s world-class, to our brain, but glaucoma
state-of-the-art-facility. attacks the optic nerve like
a rabbit chewing a cable
He was attracted to ophthalmol- and can eventually lead to
ogy in part because both his moth- blindness.”
er and grandmother have glaucoma
and he wanted to help others like Optic nerve damage is
them. Glaucoma is the second lead- usually related to increased
ing cause of permanent blindness pressure in the eye due to a
in the world, after blindness result- buildup of fluid that flows
ing from diabetic retinopathy. And throughout the inside of
it’s the first cause of bilateral blind- the eye. This fluid normally
ness in African Americans between drains out through a tissue
the ages of 55 and 75. called the trabecular mesh-
work at the angle where
“Glaucoma is a progressive loss the iris and cornea meet.
of the optic nerve tissue,” Dr. Piette When the drainage system
said. “Think of the eye like a cam- doesn’t work properly, the

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to the advertisement for the free, discounted fee, or reduced fee service, examination, or treatment.

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 28, 2022 49

HEALTH

fluid can’t flow out at the normal meshwork, which normally drains tors and be diligent about yearly meshwork to re-establish the natu-
rate and eye pressure increases. fluid out of the eye. In closed angle eye exams. The earlier glaucoma ral flow of eye fluid.
glaucoma, the angle is closed caus- is diagnosed and treated, the more
“The most common type of glau- ing increased eye pressure, which sight is saved.” Dr. Piette earned his medical
coma is primary open angle glau- leads to optic nerve damage and degree from Midwestern Univer-
coma,” Dr. Piette continued. “There vision loss. The LPI procedure cre- The five major risk factors for sity, Arizona College of Osteopathic
are no warning signs and it isn’t as- ates a hole in the outer edge of the glaucoma are age, family history, Medicine; interned at Henry Ford
sociated with any symptoms until iris which opens the angle. Once African-American or Latino de- Hospital in Detroit; and completed
it’s pretty advanced. It slowly takes the angle is widened from the pro- scent, corneal thickness and ele- his residency at Philadelphia (Pa.)
away your vision without you know- cedure, the trabecular meshwork vated eye pressure. College of Osteopathic Medicine and
ing it. Blind spots in the peripheral is exposed and fluid outflow is en- Wills Eye Hospital. His glaucoma re-
vision go unnoticed because the hanced. Dr. Pierre will be conducting a search fellowship was at New York
central vision remains good until study for a new treatment of open Eye and Ear Infirmary, followed by
the last stage of the disease when “You can’t avoid getting glauco- angle glaucoma, working with a additional training as a clinical fel-
the patient goes blind.” ma if you are predestined to get it, company called Elios on a proce- low in glaucoma the University of
so the best defense is to get a good dure called Excimer Laser Trabecu- Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He can
Damage caused by glaucoma eye exam to establish a baseline lostomy. This micro-invasive, im- be reached the Glaucoma Institute
can’t be reversed, but treatment reading when you are healthy,” Dr. plant-free procedure uses excimer at New Vision Eye Center, 1040 37th
and regular checkups can help slow Piette advised. “Know your risk fac- laser light energy to create micro- Place in Vero Beach, 772-257-8700. 
or prevent vision loss. Glaucoma scopic openings in the trabecular
is treated by lowering eye pres-
sure with the use of prescription
eye drops, oral medications, laser
treatment, surgery or a combina-
tion of treatments.

If eye drops and/or medications
don’t bring down your eye pres-
sure, improved drainage of the
fluid within eye might be accom-
plished with a laser or surgical pro-
cedure. With laser therapy, the doc-
tor uses a small laser beam to open
clogged channels in the trabecular
meshwork. With a surgical proce-
dure called a trabeculectomy, the
surgeon creates an opening in the
white of the eye and removes part
of the trabecular network.

Installing a small drainage tube
the size of an eyelash is another op-
tion to drain away excess fluid to
lower eye pressure. And there are
other minimally-invasive glauco-
ma surgery options that are often
combined with cataract surgery
that can be discussed with your
doctor.

“Acute angle closure glaucoma
is another very serious condition
where the natural drainage system
is compromised,” Dr. Piette said.
“The drain becomes closed, and the
pressure will shoot up very high.
This form of glaucoma does have
warning signs. Your vision will sud-
denly get blurry, your eye will get
red and the pupil will dilate. You
start to see smoky vision or halos
around lights. You will also feel im-
mense pain. You need to call your
eye doctor immediately because
within hours you start losing vision
permanently.”

According to the Glaucoma Re-
search Foundation, Laser peripher-
al Iridotomy (LPI) is the top treat-
ment for angle closure glaucoma
and eyes at risk for this condition
and has been used both as a treat-
ment and prevention of the disease.

The angle is the space between
the clear part of the eye (cornea)
and the colored part (iris), close to
their meeting point near the edge of
the iris. It contains the trabecular

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

HEALTH

More than reading glasses: Some new options for ‘old’ eyes

BY JILL U. ADAMS in the eye to cause the
The Washington Post blurriness.

The restaurant had tablecloths, Loss of elasticity: The
low lighting and large, leather- lens of your eye sits right
bound menus with a fanciful script behind the colored iris.
describing the fare. But these oth- In young people, the lens
erwise appealing features forced is soft and flexible and
me to hold the oversize menu above able to change shape to
the table at arm’s length to make switch one’s focus from
out my choices. My table mates far to near. As people
chuckled as they reached for their age, however, “the inter-
reading glasses. nal lens loses its elastic-
ity,” says ophthalmolo-
Doctors call it presbyopia, a term gist Brian Boxer Wachler,
rooted in Greek and meaning “old the founder of the Boxer
eye,” and it happens to everyone Wachler Vision Institute
at some point. Some people notice in Beverly Hills, Calif.
their near vision starting to blur in
their 40s, many of us experience The change happens
this in our 50s and everyone deals gradually, McDonnell
with it after age 60. says, and the process be-
gins when you are still a
“Your odds are 100 percent,” says young adult. People don’t
Peter McDonnell, an ophthalmolo- notice until they’re in
gist and the director of the Wilmer middle age because “we
Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Uni- have accommodative re-
versity in Baltimore. serve,” he says.

The good news is that there are That means we start
many ways to manage presbyopia. life with internal lenses
But first, let’s see what’s happening so flexible that people