10/15/2020 ISSUE 42

North island beach project
put on hold. P4

No daily tickets for
Mardy Fish tennis. P12
Vero Beach Museum of Art
reopens galleries for viewing. P8

For breaking news visit

MY VERO The Vero Beach Bridge Club’s ‘new normal’ Will the return of
snowbirds boost
BY RAY MCNULTY

Chief mosquito fighter COVID-19 rate?
paid more than sheriff

As long as we’re not getting BY LISA ZAHNER
Staff Writer
eaten alive – and we’re not –

nobody pays much attention

to the Indian River Mosquito Having more than 100 new
COVID-19 cases each week
Control District. is becoming the new normal
for Indian River County this
But maybe we should, espe- fall, but hospitalizations and
deaths are down, and avail-
cially with two of three seats able hospital capacity is way
up from just a few days ago.
on the district’s Board of Com-
Only one COVID-19 death
missioners to be decided in was reported this week and
only nine new people had to
the Nov. 3 election. be hospitalized. As of Monday
afternoon, only nine patients
Did you know that the mos- The Vero Beach Bridge were currently hospitalized
Club, once packed daily, with the virus and 42 percent
quito district director gets paid has been empty since of the county’s ICU beds were
mid-March. Below: Vero available.
$151,000 a year – more than the Bridge Club matches are
now played remotely on At the same time, barrier
county’s sheriff? computers and iPads. island cases are climbing at a
higher weekly rate than usu-
Or that the assistant mos- PHOTOS BY BRENDA AHEARN al, with eight more cases this
week and 28 cases in the past
quito district director gets paid Vero Beach Duplicate Bridge three weeks as of press time
Club, there were fewer card
$118,000, which is more than players at the tables and CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
club leaders had stopped
the directors of similar agen- serving snacks and institut-
ed “hand-washing breaks.”
cies in Brevard and St. Lucie BY ANDREW MEACHAM
counties, both of which have Correspondent Then during a pause be-
larger populations?
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Did you know that the dis- Signs of the pandemic in

trict has two other employ- Florida started cropping up

ees who get paid more than in March, though slightly lat-

$100,000, another who makes er in Vero Beach than in oth-

more than $90,000, and six er parts of the state. At the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Proposed Vero auto museum excites local car collectors Grace Rehab, once top rated, now run
by former director of troubled facility
BY LISA ZAHNER
Staff Writer BY MICHELLE GENZ Vero’s most problem-ridden
Staff Writer facilities.
Automobile enthusiasts on
the barrier island are watching One of the county’s top- The Portopiccolo Group
with great interest plans to open rated nursing homes, Grace of Englewood, N.J., has been
a classic car museum in 2021 in Rehabilitation Center, has acquiring dozens of mostly
the former Press Journal build- been renamed Orchid Cove. low-rated facilities during the
ing on U.S. 1 in Vero Beach. It is apparently now in the COVID-19 pandemic. Barron’s,
hands of a New Jersey private the newspaper published by
Wayne Gould, a Tucson- equity firm and being run by Dow Jones and Company,
based car collector and long- the former director of one of said that as part of its “buying
time beachside resident, came
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

October 15, 2020 Volume 13, Issue 42 Newsstand Price $1.00 For ‘Duck Derby,’
rubber hits the
News 1-16 Games 33-37 Pets 32 TO ADVERTISE CALL virtual road. P20
Arts 39-42 Health 43-46 Real Estate 57-68 772-559-4187
Books 30 Insight 23-38 Style 47-49
Dining 50-54 People 17-22 Wine 51 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 28 CALL 772-226-7925

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

2 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero tor Doug Carlson earned a salary of cluded that many mosquito district The combined annual salaries of
$113,631. Since then, annual increases employees were underpaid. the five district employees who work
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 have taken that number to more than in administration – the director, assis-
$150,000 – a 33-percent pay hike – with In response, the board approved tant director, administrative manager
with annual salaries between $79,000 the biggest bumps coming in the two phased-in salary increases over a two- and two administrative assistants –
and $89,000? fiscal years since the commissioners year period to close the supposed pay currently exceed $480,000.
received the results of a 2017 salary gap.
I didn’t. survey conducted by Cody & Associ- That’s a sizable amount for a district
I didn’t know any of this until a con- ates, a Cocoa Beach-based human re- “The increases went to the district’s that has only 29 full-time employees
cerned reader sent me some docu- sources consulting firm. entire staff, not just to the director,” and a $6.4 million budget.
mentation and suggested I watch the said Broda, who has a master’s degree
video of the Sept. 3 Mosquito Control According to Janice Broda, a com- in economics and taught classes in While Broda admitted that “salaries
District Board candidates forum, con- missioner since 1992, the $12,000 that subject as an adjunct professor at might be too high now,” she defended
ducted virtually by the Taxpayers As- study examined the salaries of other Indian River Community College from Carlson’s merit raises, despite his profes-
sociation of Indian River County. mosquito control professionals in 1988 to 2000. “But the administration sional peers in Brevard and St. Lucie mak-
What I learned was jolting. Florida, particularly those working received larger raises, so we’re talking ing significantly less money – $86,000 in
Just five years ago, District Direc- for governmental agencies, and con- about only a few salaries.” Brevard and $104,000 in St. Lucie.

Those salaries add up, however. She cited the district’s effective-
ness under his supervision in control-
ling mosquitoes that can threaten the
county’s public health and diminish
our quality of life, as well as his four
decades with the agency – the past 17
years as director. She also noted the
high regard with which he is held in
Florida’s mosquito control community.

“The directors in the neighboring
counties have less experience and
longevity,” Broda said, “and they don’t
have nearly the same credentials.”

Carlson did not seek a raise this year.
Still, Broda said she wants the board
to authorize a new independent salary
study, “so the taxpayers can be assured
that they’re paying the district’s employ-
ees fairly and appropriately,” adding that
the 2017 report recommended that such
surveys be conducted“every two to three
years to assess market conditions.”
Salaries could be frozen if a new
study found that the district employ-
ees were overpaid, she said, but it’s
very unlikely anyone would suffer a
pay cut.
“Rolling back salaries would be very
hard to do,” Broda said, “and something
I wouldn’t want to do.”
“The board has been silent about [the
high salaries] until it became an issue
during the campaign,” said Jeff Andros,
one of two candidates challenging Bro-
da for Seat 1 on the district board.
Matt Erpenbeck and Vada Mossavat,
who are challenging incumbent Lou-
is “Buck” Vocelle Jr. for seat 3 on the
board, likewise expressed concerns
during the forum about district sala-
ries and the board’s fiscal oversight.
Mossavat mentioned the district’s
“personnel costs” when compared to
other counties and wondered if the
board had considered giving taxpayers
some relief.
“The board voted for these increas-
es, but the taxpayers are footing the
bill for this,” she said. “What addi-
tional benefits are they getting [for the
higher salaries]?”
The Mosquito District board mem-
bers, for their part, receive relatively
modest stipends – $4,800 per year
plus health insurance. Broda said the
compensation for commissioners is

unchanged in the past 28 years. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 3

NEWS

Auto museum Gould said he has not yet purchased John’s Island resident and longtime and anticipates collectors and others
the 42,000-square-foot former news- auto dealer Ron Rosner of Rosner Mo- who love classic cars would stop by the
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 paper building from Vero Beach resi- torsports, owner of a 50-car, $7 million museum when they are in the area.
dent William Summers, who paid $1.4 collection of classic imported autos, is
up with the idea, which caught the at- million to take the property off Scripps’ enthusiastic about Gould’s concept. Rosner’s neighbor and friend, Gor-
tention of the Vero City Council last hands in 2015, but negotiations are in don Stewart, owner of Motor City Clas-
week. Councilmembers unanimously the works. “The acquisition of the PJ “I’m not familiar with his other mu- sic Cars, a 50-car, $3 million collection
granted a request by Gould to have the building is scheduled to close in early seum, but if he’s going to open in Vero it of American classic and muscle cars,
words “commercial museum” added to January and we hope to be open to the would certainly enhance the commu- was curious to hear more details about
the city code as a permitted use in the public by late 2021,” Gould said. nity,” Rosner said, adding that he visits how Gould plans to make a commer-
C1 commercial zoning district where classic car museums when he travels
the abandoned newspaper building is CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
located.

Back in August, Gould, who said
he has enjoyed living in the 32963 zip
code since 1998, attended a prelimi-
nary hearing about his application,
which he paid $2,000 to have consid-
ered. “It’s an art museum but all the art
has wheels,” Gould told the city’s plan-
ning and zoning committee.

The vote last week by the council
was not controversial, as the C1 district
permits the most intensive commer-
cial uses like big-box retail or even a
used car lot, but it did prompt a round
of smiles and a buzz at city hall at the
prospect of locals and tourists having
the chance to view dozens of beauti-
fully restored, vintage, rare and exotic
cars in the “Wayne’s Toys” collection.

Vero Planning Director Jason Jef-
fries, a self-described “car guy,” said
he was excited about the plans behind
the routine city zoning agenda item.
Jeffries stated that Gould would be re-
locating his entire Tucson operation
to Vero, but Gould was not ready to
confirm that on Monday.

“Because it is so early in the process,
we are not ready to announce full
plans. I can tell you that my family and
I have been residents of Vero Beach
for over 20 years and know well what a
wonderful community and classic car
culture are already there,” Gould said.

Gould said he’s hoping to develop
a “commercial aspect” of the project
eventually, “but it’s going to be a mu-
seum first.” He said local collectors
have told him they need a central lo-
cation to display their automobiles –
especially those that are up for sale.

“They said, you need to help us out,”
he said. “So, we might have a small, des-
ignated area [for car sales], but largely
it’s going to be a private collection.”

Wayne’s Toys Classic and Historic
Cars museum in Tucson is the current
home of Gould’s cars. The museum,
where 60 to 75 cars are typically on
display, is open to the public in the fall
and winter for four hours each Satur-
day, for a $10 admission fee, with dis-
counts for veterans and seniors.

The museum also serves as a venue
for charitable events and private par-
ties throughout the year, and Tucson-
area residents who want a classy ride
to their wedding or other special cel-
ebration can hire one of the cars from
Gould’s collection, along with a driver.

4 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Auto museum dates of April 9-10 at The Moorings. full permitting process with the city some hint of what was going to hap-
Gould said he looks forward to after he decides exactly how he wants pen,” said Martha Glassmeyer, 70, one
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 to arrange, use or alter the old Press of two paid managers.
networking with the local collectors, Journal building’s space and the land.
cial venture out of a museum concept. dealers and show organizers when he For example, if Gould wanted to have Club president Dave La Bar stepped
“I wish him well,” Stewart said. “There has something more concrete to show facilities for food concessions, or food to the mic, board members and em-
them about the museum. service for special events, “he would ployees arrayed behind him. The af-
are a lot of collectors in Indian River ternoon games would be the last at the
County, people who own six to 12 ve- “A museum would be terrific!” said need to meet city code to do that.”  Vero Beach Bridge Club for the fore-
hicles, but I don’t know how many times former Indian River Shores vice mayor seeable future, La Bar told the group.
those people would go to a static mu- Jerry Weick, a collector who owns one Vero Beach Bridge Club
seum. He might find that Vero Beach is a or two antique cars at a time. “I en- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 One of the club’s members, John’s
very different market than Arizona.” joy all types of motor vehicles and I Island resident Barbara “Pinky” Re-
have had cars all my life, from Model tween morning and afternoon games gan, 84, had gone to the doctor that
If Gould plans to offer climate-con- A Fords to new and old Corvettes plus on March 16, the club’s leadership filed day to be tested for COVID-19. She
trolled space for collectors, that could classic Chevrolets. It is my main hobby. past the card tables to a meeting room had played in a tournament at the
tap into the local market, Stewart said. and closed the door. They emerged just club a week before.
“There is a hunger for places to show “People just love looking at and before the start of the 1 p.m. games and
classic cars, and there’s a hunger for dreaming about cars. No matter where headed to a mic at the front of the room. Her test came back positive on
places to store classic cars.” I travel around the world, I try to check March 19, making her the first known
car museums – in spite of my wife, who “When we came out of that room, barrier island victim of the deadly dis-
Stewart said Vero’s humid seaside prefers art museums. So we compro- I remember people looking at us for ease that has since killed 119 people
climate is not a good spot to keep a mise and do both.” in Indian River County – and more
restored major investment vehicle in than a million worldwide, according
a garage that isn’t air conditioned. His Jeffries told the city council that to the BBC.
Motor City facility is kept at 72 degrees Gould would need to go through a
and low humidity, “The same as Piper
Aircraft,” he said. SECOND MAJOR ISLAND BEACH REPAIR PROJECT PUT ON HOLD

Longtime Moorings resident Vince BY SUE COCKING tion, withdrew its $17.1 million bid from the high-tide line and includes
Deturris, one of the driving forces be- due to cost concerns, according to the dunes. Some refused outright,
hind the annual Wheels and Keels car Staff Writer Eric Charest, the county's natural re- while many others did not respond
and boat show charity event held at sources manager. to county inquiries.
The Moorings each spring, said there’s Repairs to dunes and replacement
potential for Gould to tap into barrier of storm-eroded sand along north Last month, county commission- The county wanted agreements
island residents’ obsession with clas- island beaches, initially slated to be- ers decided that if Ahtma failed to with 90 percent of beachfront prop-
sic and antique cars, but he, like Stew- gin in November, will now not begin execute the contract within 15 days, erty owners to ensure the repairs
art, wonders how Gould will make a until in early January so only half the the project would be re-bid. County would not be undermined by gaps
commercial success of the museum. project seems likely to be accom- staffers are working with their engi- in the dune line. But after months
plished this winter season. neering consultant, Aptim, to draw of mailings, phone calls, canvassing
“There is a phenomenal amount of up a new bid packet. by community groups and a public
interest in classic cars and in collect- The change puts at risk not just webinar, the county only managed to
ing them in Vero,” he said, but added the island’s eroding shoreline but Charest wrote in an email to Vero secure about half of the private prop-
that a Vero museum would need to be millions more in state and federal Beach 32963 that he anticipates erty access easements it needed for
pretty spectacular to compete with funding, on top of now uncertain new bids will be received, reviewed this stretch of beach.
other local collections at the Elliott funding that was slated for a recently and awarded by early December,
Museum in Stuart and the American delayed south-island project. with construction beginning in early About $5.8 million of the south is-
Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne. January. land project’s $9.9 million cost was
County officials say they hope to to be covered by federal and state
Fred Kiesel serves on the board of rebid the north island project and The county was counting on some grants. But the delay jeopardizes
the Indian River Region Antique Auto begin part of it sometime in Janu- $10 million in federal and state that funding.
Club, the group that puts on the mas- ary, but that would leave only a few grants to help pay for the entire two-
sive annual car show at Vero’s Riverside months until the start of turtle-nest- part project. “Postponing the project does put
Park where thousands of locals and ing season at the end of April, when our cost-share at risk,” the county
visitors stroll through rows of about all construction equipment has to “At this time, the state/federal said in a letter sent to beachfront
350 cars under the oaks each year. be off the beach. funding is still available for the proj- property owners on Oct. 8. “Howev-
ect constructed in two parts,” coun- er, county staff will seek extensions
He said there’s a huge amount of in- Under the county’s fallback, two- ty spokesman Brian Sullivan wrote from the appropriate agencies.” The
terest in sharing people’s love of classic step plan for the northern island, in an email. If additional delays crop letter said the county will continue
cars – especially among island residents a 3.7-mile stretch of beach from up and the money is lost, however, pursuing the required easements
whose garages are loaded with vintage Treasure Shores Park south to route the county could be set back years in from homeowners who have yet to
car treasures – and collectors are always 510 will be restored first. Plans call its beach repair program. execute them.
looking for places to show off their cars, for spreading about 307,000 cubic
so he’d be interested to see how the yards of sand and planting thou- Last month, hopes for a much- County officials say repairing
museum could complement the local sands of native dune plants in that needed $9.9 million beach repair storm-battered dunes and adding
community of collectors. section. project on the south island washed sand protects upland homes and
away when the county commission businesses and enhances sea turtle
“We have about 150 active members, Renourishment of the 3-mile sec- voted to put off spreading sand and nesting. But a state law passed in 2018
200 members who show their cars, and tion from 510 south to Turtle Trail rebuilding dunes along an eroded that makes it harder for municipali-
400 to 500 members total, so there are a Beach Park will be put off until No- 2-mile stretch of shoreline from Sea- ties to secure public access to some
lot of collectors in Indian River County,” vember 2021. grove to the Moorings. beaches and a change in the wording
Kiesel said. “There are a lot of people of the county’s easement agreement,
who could open small museums of their Originally, both northern sections The county postponed the proj- which makes the easement perma-
own, but they keep private collections of were slated to be done as part of a ect for at least one year because not nent, have put oceanfront property
15 or 20 cars in their own facility.” single project, but the low bidder enough beachfront property owners
for the full-scale 6.7-mile renourish- gave permission for workers to be on owners on guard. 
Deturris and Kiesel said the big ment, Ahtma Marine and Construc- land they own, which extends inland
spring car shows that fell victim to the
COVID-19 lockdowns are expected to
come back in all their glory in 2021, with
Wheels and Keels having already set its

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 5

NEWS

The day La Bar announced the cen- ter remains closed – easily the biggest center on 14th Avenue had become so town and having just retired, they
ter would be closed until further no- disruption in the 60-year history of the well known that avid bridge players re- don’t know a whole lot of people,” said
tice, the COVID-19 situation did not popular club, where membership had tired to Vero specifically to join it. Jamie Portell, 63, who co-manages the
seem too dire. grown to more than 1,100 prior to the club with Glassmeyer. “Once they start
pandemic. And the center was about more than coming to bridge, they have a whole
“We all underestimated it,” Glass- just card games. For many it was a new circle of friends. Many of them
meyer said. Rated at one point the fourth largest lynchpin in their social lives as well.
bridge club in the country, the bridge CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Seven months later, the bridge cen- “A lot of these people, being new in

6 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero Beach Bridge Club understand how easy it is and how the PUBLIC SCHOOLS PREPARING FOR WAVE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 software works. And it becomes easy OF STUDENTS RETURNING TO CLASSROOMS
pretty quickly.”
vacation together, they celebrate holi- BY GEORGE ANDREASSI in person will be phased in starting
days together. They really form some To help those struggling, Haverland Monday, Oct. 19, Moore said. Prin-
very strong friendships.” organized a group of 10 tech-friendly Staff Writer cipals will notify students when to
peers. They have even visited homes report to school
So what have Bridge Club members and coached players through the soft- Public schools here are bracing
been doing the past seven months? ware from 6 feet away. Due to bridge for several thousand additional stu- “We will be fully transitioned by
ethics rules that forbid coaching of dents who will be moving from on- Oct. 26,” Moore said.
Many Vero club members have kept any kind, all computer training must line to in-school attendance in the
playing the game via computer or tab- be done outside of playing time. next two weeks. Educators want to make sure vir-
let, logging on to the website Bridge tual students don’t suffer permanent
Base Online. The bridge center remains empty Students engaged in virtual stud- setback in their studies, particularly
these days except for Glassmeyer and ies should return to class in person in math and reading, Moore said.
Bridge Base Online is designed so Portell, who run the business, build- to boost their academics if they can Tutoring sessions can be scheduled
that bridge clubs can maintain the ing and grounds. cope with the risks related to COV- at school for virtual students who
tools members need to earn master- ID-19, said Schools Superintendent don’t want to return to class in per-
points, a system administered by the They wonder about club members David Moore. son fulltime.
American Contract Bridge League and who did not shift to online play. Some
awarded by clubs for excellent play are widowed and live alone. Others don’t Testing data shows the academic But School Board member Jac-
and play in tournaments. even do email. Portell said they have performance of some virtual students queline Rosario said she didn’t
tried to keep track of who they’ve heard has slipped since last year, Moore want to rush the virtual students to
After creating an account, players from and who hasn’t contacted the club. said. And many of the district’s most return to class in person if their par-
purchase “BBO dollars” to pay the $7 The silent ones will get a card in the mail challenged virtual students have yet ents are still leery of the virus.
fee per game (the bridge center kept at some point, just checking in. to take assessment tests.
the price the same as live play). They Parents of virtual students gave the
find their club through one search “This is their connection to friend- “I look at where we are academi- schools a rating of 3.5 out of 5, records
field and their partner in another. ships and basically the outside world,” cally and I look at the students who show, while those whose children at-
Portell said. are in virtual or transitional and I tend class in person gave a rating of
Like many other websites, there is see some grave concerns,” Moore 3.88.
no requirement players use their real She remembers the day they told said. “It is alarming.”
names, and most don’t. those regulars the center was closing. The school district reported four
A total of 5,694 students are en- new COVID-19 cases in the past
Games still run seven days a week, “We knew we needed to close it but rolled in the virtual schooling pro- week, two students at Vero Beach
the same as when the bridge center ... we weren’t sure when we might all gram, about 37.5 percent of the dis- High School, one student at Se-
was open, and the number of games be together again.” trict’s population, records show. The bastian River High School and one
has actually increased – members other 9,493 students, about 62.5 per- student at Treasure Coast Technical
logged 1,164 tables of bridge last Seven months later, they’re still not cent, have returned to class in person. College.
month, more than double the 537 ta-
bles played in September 2019, as sea- sure.  “I want at least 75 percent of our Health officials issued quarantine
sonal residents still in their northern students back in brick and mortar,” directions to 26 students and one staff
homes now can participate. Return of snowbirds Moore said. “The most effective en- member at Sebastian River High and
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 vironment for academic success is 16 students and two staff members
Online has become the new normal. in a classroom with a live teacher.” at Treasure Coast Technical, records
But much of the Vero Beach bridge Monday, for a total 32963 case count show. The school district had not re-
club lifestyle is missing – its zeitgeist as of 140 since the start of the pandem- So far, 41 percent of the 1,182 vir- ported the number of students quar-
a social hub, sporting arena and bridge ic. tual school parents who responded antined at Vero Beach High School at
university. Pregame strategy sessions at to a school district survey indicated press time.
Bobby’s or the Riverside Cafe have given Overall, the island represents only they intend to send their children
way to phone calls. Members now type 4 percent of the county’s cases. The back to school in person when the A total of 24 students and four
messages on computers to opponents big question is whether that low per- second quarter starts Monday, Oct. staff members in 14 different public
they cannot see, with alphanumeric centage will hold once season is in 26. and charter schools in Indian River
screen names they do not recognize. full swing and the gated communities County have tested positive for CO-
Some club members have taken to are once again bustling with activity. The other 59 percent said they in- VID-19 since the new school year
online bridge without too much diffi- This week the island was responsible tend to keep their child in one of two started on Aug. 24, records show.
culty, while others have struggled. for 7.8 percent of new positive cases. virtual schooling programs through
“It can be a little frustrating at times,” the end of the semester, district re- State Health officials have directed
said Regan, who recovered from CO- Four new student cases were report- cords show. The deadline to respond more than 38 students and at least 10
VID-19 and has been playing bridge ed in Indian River County schools this was Wednesday. staff members in the school district
online for months. “When I first got on week. Despite a system of protocols
it was a little hard to figure out how to that seems to be working, a group of Virtual students returning to class to quarantine, records show. 
get the mechanics of it.” local parents is demanding that their
She played with three robots to kids have the freedom to not wear a Grace Rehab house on Vero’s Ocean Drive.
learn: “They go so fast, but that’s how mask at school. Whether by purchase or by man-
I got it.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“At first I found it mostly difficult,” City officials at recent public meet- agement agreement, Portopiccolo has
said Max Hughes, 92, the club’s con- ings have noted that they feel the Vero spree,” the group was eyeing Grace placed Grace Rehab under its Orchid
troller. “It took me six weeks to become Beach area is benefiting somewhat Healthcare, the Vero facility’s parent. Cove brand, one of dozens of names
fluent in it. But now I really like it.” from people not wanting to be in large used for the company’s 100 or so fa-
Former Indian River Shores town urban areas right now, either due to In several of its deals, Portopicco- cilities, according to Barron’s.
council member Dick Haverland a resurgence of COVID-19 or to civil lo used loans arranged by Contem-
thinks most of the problems people unrest. Interest in smaller, safer com- porary Healthcare Capital, a com- A sign out front of the Vero facility re-
have with the software boil down to munities is on the upswing, say Vero pany co-founded by Byron DeFoor, flects the new Orchid Cove name, replac-
being afraid of it. “You can say, ‘Oh city staffers who field questions and the Chattanooga-based founder of ing the Grace Rehab sign that for years
my God, I never understood comput- process applications for permits and Grace Healthcare and owner of a boasted the facility’s five-star rating.
ers, I just don’t want to do this. Then development.
when you see someone else do it, you Edwin Rojas, who took over man-
It could be that during a difficult
time, even more people are recogniz-
ing all that Vero Beach and adjacent

island communities have to offer. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 7

NEWS

agement of the facility in August, most type of violation – based on an inspec- injury, harm, impairment or death to wouldn’t budge, leaving the resident
recently ran Palm Garden of Vero, the tion that took place in early August. a resident,” the statute reads. exposed to the scorching midday sun
largest nursing home in Vero and no- That inspection, and the single inci- for as long as two hours. The nurs-
toriously one of the worst. In the two dent it tracked, caused Rojas’ prede- AHCA’s report detailed an incident ing assistant who found him, dazed
years Rojas ran Palm Garden, the fa- cessor, an interim administrator, to be involving a resident of Grace in a wheel- and slumped over, had to call another
cility was not able to raise its one-star suspended and then fired. chair who traversed the entire facility, nurse to help pull the wheelchair out
overall rating. passing two nurses’ stations, and made of the grass.
A Class 1 deficiency is “one that re- it outside undetected through an un-
Last year, on Rojas’ watch, Palm Gar- quires immediate corrective action locked exit off a screened porch. The man suffered second-degree
den was named a candidate for a fed- because the facility’s noncompliance burns with his body temperature ris-
eral list of nursing homes in need of has caused or is likely to cause serious Once outside, one wheel of his chair
added oversight, the Special Focus Fa- apparently slid off the sidewalk and CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
cility List. It also earned an $80,000 fed-
eral fine for violations uncovered in an School Board member Tiffany Justice supports activists
inspection a month after Rojas started. urging end to requirement that students wear facemasks

According to Rojas’ LinkedIn profile, BY GEORGE ANDREASSI and several parents claimed their indi- A group of parents notified the dis-
for 12 years, until 2016, he also ran an- Staff Writer vidual legal right to determine whether trict they intend to file a legal challenge
other skilled nursing facility in Vero – their children must wear a facemask in against the mandatory facemask rules,
Atlantic Healthcare, now known as Sea Public school students would no school overrules the district’s authority said Justice, who is leaving the board
Breeze. The month Rojas left Atlantic, longer be required to wear facemasks to mandate facial coverings to protect Nov. 17 after opting not to seek a sec-
May 2016, the nursing home was cited on campus to slow the spread of CO- public health and safety. ond four-year term.
for multiple deficiencies in an 81-page VID-19 under new health and safety
report. rules being considered by the Indian “I’m really concerned now about School Board members Teri Baren-
River County School Board. where we stand in violating the rights of borg and Jacqueline Rosario said they
Now it is Rojas’ new home that is parents and students,” Justice said dur- want to gradually phase out the man-
in trouble. Grace Rehab – the state’s Spurred by anti-mask activists, several ing the Oct. 6 School Board meeting. datory mask requirement.
Agency for Healthcare Administration School Board members said they want
has yet to reflect the name change – to phase out the mandatory mask re- Justice threatened to call for a vote “I personally think masks should be
was just fined $4,500 for improperly quirement that has been in place since on making facemasks optional for stu- optional,” said board member Jacque-
listing past or present employees on the new school year started Aug. 24. dents as soon as Tuesday, Oct. 13 un- line Rosario. “I have a feeling we will
AHCA’s criminal background check less a plan is put in place to rescind the be voting on that soon.”
registry. School Board member Tiffany Justice requirement.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
That administrative complaint pales
compared to what AHCA calls the “im-
mediate jeopardy” residents faced in a
Class 1 deficiency – the most serious

8 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Grace Rehab The Vero nursing home, on 10th happen if we do that quickly, of teach- “Taking a ‘one-and-done, rip-off-the-
Avenue on the bend in U.S. 1 near ers not wanting to come to teach.” band-aid’ approach is not the best way
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 downtown, was long known as Royal to go,” Moore said. “Masks have played
Palm Convalescent Center until Grace A recent school district survey com- a major role in minimizing the number
ing as high as 103, according to multi- Healthcare took over. It was founded pleted by 726 school-based staff mem- of students who needed to be quaran-
ple witnesses. But the registered nurse by Arthur and Marian Block in 1965, bers found 71 percent would not be tined. We’ve had no outbreaks, we’ve
charged with his care told the AHCA and a plaque attesting to its mission, comfortable allowing facemasks to be had no closing of schools, no clusters.”
inspector the patient was only “a tad “to care for the elderly citizens of In- optional for students and staff, while
warm, like 99 degrees I think.” dian River County,” is still posted on a 29 percent would be comfortable. None of the 362 students quaran-
brick column outside the front door. tined as of Oct. 6 due to contact with
The same nurse, whose name was The leaders of the teachers and sup- infected students has tested positive
redacted in the AHCA report, wrote a Arthur Block, who arrived in Vero port staff unions said their members for COVID-19, Moore said. That in-
report the afternoon of the incident in 1937, opened a department store a support the mandatory mask require- cludes members of the football team
claiming she herself had found the year later in Vero’s downtown and be- ments for students and staff to protect who had been exposed to a teammate
resident, not outside, but on the facil- came a founding member of Florida themselves, their families and the stu- who tested positive.
ity’s screened patio, and said that he National Bank in Vero Beach. He was dents.
had been seen just 10 minutes ear- instrumental, along with his wife, in “I am extremely comfortable with
lier, not two to three hours, as others the founding of the Treasure Coast’s “The teachers have rights to be safe what we are doing in our schools to
reported. One aide said she was told and to keep their families safe,” said keep our children safe,” Moore said.
by the R.N. to say the man had been first synagogue in 1948.  Freeland, president of the 1,000-mem-
missing only 10 minutes. ber Indian River County Education Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hos-
Facemasks in schools Association. pital Chief Medical Officer Dr. David
Asked for comment on that incident CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 Peter endorsed the mask requirement
as well as his new responsibilities, Ro- “I don’t see at what point your chil- in schools, but said he understands
jas acknowledged receipt of the request Barenborg said she too opposes re- dren are more important than my some people won’t be swayed by ex-
but never got back with a response, de- quiring students to wear masks in school teachers’ children, or my teachers’ fam- pert medical advice.
spite repeated follow-up emails. but acknowledged the issue would ily, or my teachers’ health,” Freeland
have to be resolved with the unions. told the audience of about 25 people. “Cleveland Clinic, in concert with
Since 2004, Grace Rehab has been the public Health Department, strong-
owned and operated by Grace Healthcare. “This is a negotiated point,” Baren- Mike Murray, president of the Com- ly supports masking, especially when
borg said. “We have to do this carefully. munications Workers of America, Lo- we are in areas with other people,” Pe-
Prior to all the changes, Grace Re- cal 3180, said the district’s 700 bus ter said.
hab was run by Randall Rees, who “Teachers have rights too,” Baren- drivers, food service workers, teacher
came to Vero from Grace Healthcare’s borg said. “We can’t mandate they assistants, maintenance workers and “We also support social distancing,”
Lake Wales facility 10 years ago. Rees, come tomorrow and teach. I’m worried secretaries also support wearing face- Peter said. “There is a considerable
whose leadership garnered Grace Re- about the repercussions of what could masks in school. literature, which is not insignificant,
hab its consistent top ratings, left as which does show it makes a difference.
the new company took over. “It is kind of cumbersome to wear, It makes a tremendous difference.
but I wear it out of respect for the staff
and for the children just to help them “We see this as an important mea-
feel safe,” Murray said. sure,” Peter said. “We have stood up
at every forum where we can stand up
A majority of the 2,036 parents who and advocated for masking, advocated
responded to a recent district survey, for the appropriate physical distancing
58 percent, indicated they would not and advocated that we try to keep ev-
be comfortable allowing facemasks to eryone in our community safe.”
be optional for students and staff. The
other 42 percent would be comfortable. Cleveland Clinic physicians, nurses
and technicians treat COVID-19 pa-
The district should undertake a de- tients every day on the hospital’s CO-
liberate process of reviewing the face- VID floor and intensive care unit, Pe-
mask requirement with advice from a ter said.
committee of local health and medi-
cal experts, said School Superinten- “We’ve seen more people die of CO-
dent David Moore.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Vero Beach Museum of Art finally reopens
galleries and sculpture gardens to visitors

BY MARY SCHENKEL Brady Roberts, executive director/CEO,
Staff Writer said he is happy the museum is open
again after such a long period of time.
One of the barrier island’s premier
cultural institutions has reopened – For the remainder of 2020 and into
finally – giving residents and visitors 2021, the museum plans to offer vir-
access to a permanent collection of tual and hybrid options for some of its
nearly 900 pieces of artwork in a pro- programming and events, along with
fessional museum setting rare in a in-person access to museum galleries.
town the size of Vero Beach.
“We have a lot of space in the muse-
The Vero Beach Museum of Art re- um, so we can spread people out safely
opened its galleries and sculpture as long as our numbers stay good in In-
gardens last Tuesday, albeit with some dian River County,” said Roberts. “But
restrictions, following an almost sev- we’ll also give people the opportunity
en-month closure caused by the coro- to attend virtually if they want to do it
navirus pandemic. that way.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10



10 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Facemasks in schools al lecture about the show that Sophie are celebrating with us in that space, grams continuing to be offered online.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 Bentham-Wood, director of marketing and we wanted to improve it, make it The museum’s Jan. 29 Gala: Viva Italia,
and communications, said drew more safer. We’re getting a lot more usable
VID than anybody else in this room,” than 200 online listeners. Additionally, square footage out of the project. It’s featuring the return of last year’s well-
Peter said. online Museum Extras pages – Anke’s going to be very attractive too.” liked performer, Michael Amante, will be
Art Moment, Fick Picks, Museum Sto- a hybrid affair. Three options will be of-
“I get it that it’s a very charged issue at ries, Art Tutorials, A+ Art, and Museum Although the atrium has been en- fered, from full-on in-person participa-
this time,” Peter said. “If we can’t use the Fun – have kept the public engaged all closed since 2011, the space was tion at a live performance to take-home
evidence as the reason we do things, through the shutdown. originally designed as the open-air dinner options with remote viewing.
then it becomes somewhat more diffi- Wahlstrom Sculpture Garden. Its
cult to reach consensus.” The museum’s newest show, the Chul centerpiece fountain has been tem- The museum’s Lecture Series will like-
Hyun Ahn: New Light exhibition, will porarily moved to storage, while the ly also offer hybrid choices, enhanced by
But the measured responses by Pe- open Oct. 24 in the Stark Gallery, and decision is made as to where it will be improved broadcasting capabilities.
ter and Moore did not assuage the con- will remain there through late spring. relocated, likely outdoors.
cerns of a group of parents at the Oct. 6 “There will be a lot of streaming op-
meeting who stubbornly opposed the “The Chul Ahn show is going to be The ArtZone, Museum Café, Leon- tions for people. We’re trying to be flex-
mandatory mask rules. beautiful, and I think a new light is ex- hardt Auditorium and Education Wing ible to fit everyone’s comfort factors,”
actly what we all want right now,” said will remain closed for now, with art said Bentham-Wood.
Several cited research showing masks Roberts. “So, it’s a great time to come classes and some other public pro-
cause health and psychological issues and see the permanent collection and “We’re learning as we go, like every-
for children, with some accusing medi- things that people haven’t seen for a
cal and government officials of schem- long time. Anke Van Wagenberg did a one is with this,” added Roberts. 
ing to overstate the health emergency. nice job with the glass selection from
the collection and she organized the RETURNING SNOWBIRDS WILL FIND MOST
“Simply put, this is disaster fraud,” new light exhibition, so it will be re- PRIVATE CLUBS OPEN AND WELCOMING
said Ruth Kuvlesky, presenting her- ally nice.”
self as a spokeswoman for the Indian BY STEPHANIE LABAFF at some level. Non-family visitors are
River Freedom Coalition. “There is no Numerous safety precautions have not allowed for the most part.
emergency, there never was any emer- been put in place to protect visitors Staff Writer
gency and there definitely is no pan- and staff, including touchless ther- Gov. Ron DeSantis has lifted all re-
demic. Please just do the right thing mometer screening and facemask re- When snowbirds return to their strictions on indoor activities, but In-
and remove mask requirements from quirements, as well as a maximum ca- clubs this fall, they will find dining dian River County private clubs are
this fake disaster.” pacity of 150 visitors at any given time. rooms, golf courses, tennis courts, fit- taking things one step at a time with
Tuesdays for the foreseeable future ness centers and other facilities open most continuing to operate at be-
Another parent, Manny Bande, said will be member-only days, as a thank- for business – with some restrictions – tween 50 percent and 75 percent of ca-
“freedom is our first and most impor- you for their support, with the general as club boards and managers strive to pacity at indoor dining venues. To off-
tant thing. Safety doesn’t trump our public invited to visit from 10 a.m. to get life back to normal. set reduced seating, clubs have added
freedom. At the end of the day, even if 4 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, and 1 or extended outdoor dining facilities.
it was the bubonic plague, are we go- p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. For members who plan to stay in
ing to give up our freedom so we don’t Vero through the holidays instead of For golfers, golf cart shield dividers,
“We want to make sure people come returning north, as many say they do, no-touch ball retrieval and spaced out
get sick?”  back in here feeling confident and their families will be welcome to come tee times are par for the course at the
comfortable when they are here,” said and join them for Thanksgiving and clubs.
Vero Beach Museum of Art Bentham-Wood. “It’s actually kind of a Christmas dinners at their clubs.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 nice time to come; it’s nice and quiet Bent Pine General Manager Hugh
and you get to enjoy the works.” “Members will be able to enjoy the O’Donnell says instituting tee times is
Those who prefer to visit the mu- sports and social calendar they know a significant change at his club. “His-
seum will at last be afforded an in- The museum’s closure provided an and love, but events will be modified torically, we’re a no-tee-time club.”
person view of the Avery to Warhol opportunity to do some work on the in terms of attendance and socializa- But to sanitize the carts, tee times
exhibition, a curated of selection of HVAC system and to renovate the tion before and after,” says Ursula have become necessary, he explains.
artwork from the museum’s perma- Laura and Bill Buck Atrium, maximiz- Gunter, director of membership and
nent collection originally scheduled ing the atrium space by making it all marketing at The Moorings Yacht & “Our goal,” he adds, “is for everyone
to open July 17. The show will remain one level. That project is still ongoing. Country Club. to be comfortable when they come
up through Jan. 3. out here and not really have to think
“It was a sunken level and there were “Like everybody else, we’re trying to about everything that is going on. We
Over the summer, Anke Van Wagen- stairs and rails and ramps,” Roberts ex- find creative ways to offer regular ser- try to keep it as normal as possible and
berg, senior curator, presented a virtu- plained. “It took up a lot of space and vices without putting anybody’s safety try to think of alternative ways to keep
there were some trip hazards that we in jeopardy,” says Tim Straley, general everyone safe.”
didn’t like. We have a lot people who manager at Vero Beach Country Club,
where members are now able to walk In that vein, Gunter cites the cre-
HONEY MINUSE the golf course at any time of the day. ation of new outdoor programming
for        at The Moorings, including an Audu-
When seasonal residents headed bon-Certified 1.5-mile nature trail at
VERO BEACH CITY COUNCIL north earlier this year at the height of Hawk’s Nest, a Moorings Walking Club
the coronavirus pandemic, most of and outdoor yoga.
HONEYMINUSE.COM the clubs were fully shutdown. Gradu-
ally, over the summer, they reopened While most of the clubs will be serv-
SISUSTARFISH@AOL.COM with safety protocols in place. Many of ing Thanksgiving and Christmas din-
those protocols have eased since then. ner, you won’t see many buffets on
772-559-5584 the menu. It’s strictly a la carte for the
For the most part, the private clubs most part, with an extended reserva-
Paid for and approved by Honey Minuse, for Vero Beach City Council are fully open to members and family tion window so that groups can be
– grandparents, parents, siblings, chil- spaced out.
dren and grandchildren – with access
to all amenities at reduced capacity, Kevin Given, Quail Valley chief op-
with hand-sanitizing stations, social erating officer and general manager,
distancing, temperature checks and says his club has modified its “all-you-
mask-wearing when indoors in place can-eat prime rib and lobster buffet,”
installing Plexiglass partitions to sepa-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 11

NEWS

rate the server and the member with “We have a no-guest policy through
only the server handling the food. All the end of the year currently. Family
other courses are plated and served members as guests only,” Tench adds.
tableside.
The Moorings Club asks that mem-
“John’s Island Club is offering ser- bers and guests coming from out of
vices to our members and their im- state self-quarantine for five days be-
mediate families,” says John’s Island fore using club amenities. “In lieu of
Club general manager Brian Kroh. quarantine, they may opt to get a CO-
“Through the end of the year, we are VID-19 test,” says Gunter. “We have
not allowing [non-family] guests; and arranged for onsite testing at the club
we’re not doing any type of in-person several times a week with a local home-
events.” health agency that provides results
within 48 hours.”
Additionally, says Kroh, “we are
asking [members and visiting fam- “At Quail Valley, we’re planning for
ily] coming in from out of the state to a very busy and active season,” says
provide a negative PCR COVID-19 test Given.
and register with our membership of-
fice before they use the club facilities “There are obvious challenges and
– or they can go into a 14-day waiting obstacles that are out there in our
period upon arrival.” business. Our team has been resilient
and is not making COVID an excuse
Most of the clubs require staff to not to provide great services.
submit to temperature checks upon
arrival at work, but Kroh says John’s Is- “We’re constantly saying, figure out
land also requires temperature checks a way to get to yes. If you can do that in
for members at all points of service for a safe and healthy manner that is mor-
an added measure of protection. Sev- ally correct and physically possible,
eral of the other clubs have tempera- we want to. We don’t want to lose our
ture checks available for members to hospitality heart.”
use at will.
Bent Pine’s O’Donnell concurs, say-
At Orchid Island Golf and Beach ing that many seasonal residents re-
Club, members and visiting family turning to Vero Beach in the next few
have been and are still required to pro- weeks indicate they will not go back
vide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR north for the holidays. So, the clubs
test, says Rob Tench, general manager. are anticipating a very busy fall and

winter “season.” 

Vero picks mostly younger residents to serve on
riverfront redevelopment steering committee

BY LISA ZAHNER site into a community focal point for
Staff Writer future generations of Vero families.

Rejecting applications from a former It took three paper ballots to break
mayor and a longtime member of the a tie for the fifth seat, but the council
planning and zoning and utilities com- eventually selected five new members
mittees, the Vero Beach City Council to serve on the Three Corners Steering
made good on its goal to appoint more Committee from the 15 applicants.
young people to shape the reinvention
of the city’s 37-acre riverfront utility Replacing the five council members
who stepped down to pave the way for

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

12 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Riverfront steering committee the council to include local profes- by Mayor Tony Young and Baker was to look at variations of the Master Con-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 sionals with design experience. Stassi, appointed by Vice Mayor Laura Moss, cept Plan designed by architect Andres
58, who retired early from a career in so Young’s and Moss’ replacements on Duany.
a more diverse committee will be Syd- city management and nonprofit man- the council in November could choose
ney O’Haire, Chloe Rose Schwartz, Ben agement, is the most senior of the new new members. Moss, once she takes The goal of the committee is to rec-
Earman, Christine Pokorney-Sickter- crop of Steering Committee members. her seat on the Indian River Board of ommend the best plan, which would
man and Jeff Stassi. County Commissioners, will sit in on then be vetted through the planning
The five new appointees join Chair- committee meetings as a non-voting process and the city council. The city
O’Haire, Schwartz and Earman are woman Vicky Gould, Mark Tripson, member and liaison to the county has not yet determined if it will pre-
Vero Beach natives who returned to Linda Moore, Mike Johannsen, former since the project is important to the serve the Big Blue power plant, or how
their hometown after college. Pokor- mayor Harry Howle and Dr. Richard entire community. much of the $21 million proceeds from
ney-Sickterman is a University of Flor- Baker on the committee, with coun- the electric utility sale might be used
ida design school graduate who urged cil candidate John Cotugno serving as The Three Corners Steering Com- to fund infrastructure or recreational
an alternate. Tripson was appointed mittee is scheduled to meet on Oct. 22
amenities on the site. 

No daily tickets for next week’s Mardy Fish tennis tournament here

BY RAY MCNULTY commodate social-distancing recom- ue’s capacity – will be able to attend property will be reserved for practice
Staff Writer mendations during the ongoing coro- the tournament at one time. They will sessions and pre-match warmups.
navirus pandemic. not have their temperatures taken be-
No daily general-admission tickets fore entering the facility, but they will As of Sunday, only 15 players had
will be sold for the $10,000 Mardy Fish According to Tournament Director be asked to wear masks and socially committed to the rescheduled tourna-
Children’s Foundation Tennis Cham- Randy Walker, club members, who distance. ment – usually held in late April and
pionships, which starts Monday at The will be admitted free, must sit in the early May, the event was postponed
Boulevard Tennis Club. bleachers on the west side of the sta- “Unfortunately, because of COVID, because of COVID-19 – but Walker
dium, directly across the court from it’s almost a private event, but at least said he’s hoping to fill a 32-player sin-
Spectators for the weeklong men’s sponsors and box-seat patrons. we’re able to put on a tournament,” gles draw and 16-team doubles draw.
professional tournament, which has Walker said. “This is the foundation’s
been played in Vero Beach since 1995, There will be no seating available on biggest fundraiser.” The singles champion will earn
will be limited to sponsors, box-seat the clubhouse deck, where temporary $3,000, but because this year’s tour-
holders and as many as 80 randomly risers were used in past years. Walker said Boulevard members nament will not be sanctioned by the
selected Boulevard members to ac- must submit their names to the club, United States Tennis Association or In-
Walker said a total of 150 spectators which will use “some type of lottery” ternational Tennis Federation, players
– approximately 35 percent of the ven- to award tickets. He said tournament will not be awarded rankings points.
officials need a record of who attended
STRENGTH IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY the event each day, “so we can contact “This isn’t like past years, when play-
A Century of Combined Experience trace if we learn that someone has ers followed the USTA Circuit and you
tested positive for COVID.” knew they were coming here,” Walker
In a year of great financial turbulence, professional advice has never been more important. said. “We’ve got to get the word out
While most firms have moved to a “one size fits all” model, we have spent decades Players will have their temperatures and recruit players, and that’s what
taken when they arrive on site, and we’re doing. Right now, though, we
offering customized portfolio management to every client because that’s just who we are. they’ll be asked to “socially distance don’t know many we’ll end up with.”
as much as possible and not hang out
Investment Management • Trust & Estate Services • Financial Strategies at the club,” Walker said, adding that Walker said he expects the tourna-
three courts at the north end of the ment to return to its spring date and

be fully sanctioned next year. 

Sretprolancgesrleattierionfgloccoaulnlatywcyoeursrtsejeukdsgteo

Barbara E. Magee, Alexander S. Batt, Charlene Padgett Tucker BY RAY MCNULTY nor wrote that he “strongly prefers” a
Thomas J. Rollando and Sue M. Tompkins Staff Writer maximum number of nominees.

772.494.7660 l 3055 Cardinal Dr, Suite 305, Vero Beach, FL 32963 Undersheriff Jim Harpring, State Although four years remain on Mor-
www.warrencapitalmanagement.com Attorney Bruce Colton’s daughter gan’s term – his resignation takes ef-
and a former Florida assistant attor- fect Jan. 31 – his replacement would
Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), ney general are among seven local be required to seek re-election to a
Member SIPC. Warren Capital Management is a separate entity from WFAFN. lawyers who have applied to replace full, six-year term in 2022.
retiring County Court Judge David
Morgan. In addition to Harpring, who also
serves as the Sheriff’s Office’s general
The candidates were scheduled to counsel, the list of applicants includes:
be interviewed via Zoom on Tuesday
by the 19th Circuit Judicial Nominat-  Paige Colton: A former assistant
ing Commission, which will submit
three to six names to Gov. Ron DeSan- state attorney in Broward County, she’s
tis, who then has 60 days to appoint currently in private practice in Vero
a new judge. In his Sept. 15 letter to Beach. For the past six years, she’s also
convene the commission, the gover- served as a Traffic Court hearing officer
in three counties. She’s the daughter of
the state attorney and married to As-
sistant State Attorney Brian Workman.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 13

NEWS

 Kiernan Moylan: A former Flor- former assistant public defender. law and divorce cases. He also serves entire career as an assistant state at-
as a Traffic Court Hearing Officer in St. torney. She serves as a team member
ida assistant attorney general in the  Jeff Battista: An attorney since Lucie County. He’s a former assistant in the county’s Drug Court, Mental
agency’s Civil Litigation Division, he’s state attorney. Health Court and Veterans Court. She
an experienced trial lawyer currently 2000, he was partners in a law firm also has handled felony cases, particu-
in private practice with the Hoskins, with now-County Judge Nicole Menz  Robyn Stone: A lawyer for 14 larly as a sex-crimes prosecutor.
Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd law firm. An In- for nearly 15 years and currently is em-
dian River Shores resident, he’s also a ployed by the Vero Beach-based Grall years and the daughter of retired State CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Law Group, where he handles family Attorney Bob Stone, she has spent her

14 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Slate of lawyers  Elise Kearney: A lawyer for six

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 years, she is an assistant state attorney
in Vero Beach.
 Rebecca White: An assistant
Morgan, 63, last month announced
state attorney since 2007, she has his plans to retire after 24 years as a
spent her entire career as a prosecu- county judge. He, too, is a former as-
tor, having participated in more than sistant state attorney who worked for
100 jury trials. In January 2019, she Bruce Colton.
was promoted to supervisor of the St.
Lucie County Court Division, manag- “I’ve had quite a few of my attorneys
ing a staff of 15 while also handling go on to become judges, including
felony cases. She is married to Assis- some who’ve already gone through
tant State Attorney Brian White. and retired,” said Colton, who will re-
tire on Dec. 31. “I’ve always encour-

aged them.” 

Vero Beach City Council refuses to endorse
Rep. Posey’s bill to study Brightline safety

BY GEORGE ANDREASSI “I think this is probably a meaning-
Staff Writer less measure,” said Vice Mayor Laura
Moss. “It’s already being built, so two
The Vero Beach City Council again years from now is probably two years
refused to endorse legislation pro- too late.”
posed by a local lawmaker to enhance
safety along the railroad tracks Bright- Instead, Moss and City Council-
line plans to use for high speed pas- member Joe Graves again asked City
senger trains. Manager Monte Falls to pursue talks
with Brightline officials about estab-
This time, the council panned a lishing a train stop and passenger sta-
bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, tion in Vero Beach.
the city’s congressman, directing fed-
eral railroad and highway agencies to It was the second time this year the
study motorist and pedestrian safety City Council opted not to support leg-
along the Brightline corridor. islation aimed at increasing govern-
ment scrutiny over the safety mea-
The council voted 3-2 on Oct. 6 sures on the high-speed passenger rail
against a resolution of support for tracks Brightline is building between
Posey’s Pedestrian Safety Study Act, Orlando and West Palm Beach.
which calls for the completion of a
motorist and pedestrian safety report On Jan. 7, the City Council declined
within two years. to support a bill sponsored by state
Sen. Debbie Mayfield (R-Vero Beach)

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 15

NEWS

that would have given the Florida De- port Mayfield’s High Speed Passen- that will be used by Brightline, so they Falls said city officials want Bright-
partment of Transportation greater ger Rail Safety Act, but the bill died in should start addressing them. line to pay to erect fencing along Poca-
authority over passenger rail projects committee during the spring legisla- hontas Park in downtown Vero Beach
and operations like Brightline. tive session. “There are going to be people who to keep children from wandering onto
wander onto the tracks; there are peo- the tracks, among other safety initia-
The public backlash prompted the This time, Graves said city officials al- ple who commit suicide unfortunate- tives.
City Council to reverse course and ready know the safety issues surround- ly,” Graves said. “It’s a problem. How do
vote unanimously on Jan. 21 to sup- ing the Florida East Coast Railway tracks we remedy it? Do we put fencing up?” CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

16 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Brightline safety study ger service from South Florida to Or-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 lando by the end of 2022, running 34
trains per day through Indian River
Councilman Robert Brackett, who County at speeds reaching 110 mph.
joined Mayor Tony Young in support-
ing the legislation, said a motorist and Earlier this month, the U.S. Su-
pedestrian safety study would help preme Court rejected Indian River
identify other problem spots. County’s last-gasp appeal against the
federal approvals for the extension of
Brightline plans to extend passen- Brightline’s tracks from South Florida

to Orlando. 

Vero moves to annex 23-acre tract south
of Regency Place on Indian River Blvd.

BY LISA ZAHNER Coincidentally, Schwerin serves in
an advisory capacity to the Land Trust
Staff Writer and, with his wife Virginia, donated
nearly 12 acres of land to be part of the
The City of Vero Beach is largely organization’s 50-acre Toni Robinson
built out, so the addition of nearly 200 Waterfront Trail.
apartment homes located a two-min-
ute commute away from the Cleveland A parcel can be annexed into the city
Clinic Indian River Hospital campus when the owner applies to join the city
would be a big win for the city tax base. if the land is contiguous to the city limits
or if it is served by the Vero Beach water-
Schwerin Asset Advisors LLC, a sewer utility, and as long as it does not
Florida real estate holding company create an irregular or confusing munici-
established in 2003 and run by long- pal border. Schwerin’s land, when devel-
time John’s Island resident Warren oped, falls within the Indian River Coun-
Schwerin, applied in July to voluntari- ty Utilities service territory, so the county
ly annex 23.65 acres of land it owns on would supply the development with
the southeast corner of 41st Street and water and sewer service, Jeffries said.
Indian River Boulevard into the city.
Vero would provide police protec-
The triangular parcel is immediate- tion, waste collection and other city
ly south of the Regency Place assisted services, and City Manager Monte Falls
living community, and contiguous to commented that in his opinion, the re-
the Vero city limits. sponsiveness of city staff and the profes-
sionalism of the Vero Beach Police De-
Vice Mayor Laura Moss asked partment are motivation enough to be
whether the owner is pursuing an- annexed. Jeffries said the city staff deter-
nexation in search of looser zoning re- mined the new development would not
quirements but was told no, because create an undue burden on city services.
the requested density meets city re-
quirements. The existing county zon- The city waives application fees for
ing would allow a density of eight mul- voluntary annexations because it’s
tifamily units per acre. City Planning in the city’s financial interest to add
Director Jason Jeffries said the closest more taxable land, Jeffries said.
city zoning would allow 10 units per
acre, but that the applicant, repre- The vacant property has an assessed
sented by real estate attorney Bruce value of $1,186,983, according to the In-
Barkett, is only asking for a land-use dian River County Property Appraiser.
designation of eight units per acre. Based upon that value, the property
nets $1,365 in Municipal Services Tax-
Based upon that density, a traffic ing Unit taxes to the county, which
study was completed showing that would be replaced by city taxes of ap-
189 apartment units would create ap- proximately $2,967 while vacant – but
proximately 1,000 trips per day into that amount would go up exponentially
and out of the complex. Since Indian once developed.
River Boulevard is considered a “ma-
jor artery,” engineers determined the No details were given regarding
existing roads have capacity to handle the size or price point of the planned
the new community. apartments, or whether the commu-
nity would be designed for young pro-
Moss also pointed out that the parcel fessionals and families, or for retirees.
is relatively close to the Indian River La-
goon – in fact it abuts a swath of conser- Various state agencies now have 30
vation lands owned by the Indian River days to review the proposed annexa-
Land Trust that runs along the riverfront. tion and pose questions or informa-
tion requests to the city and to the
“As you can see, anything that can applicant. Then, if there are no objec-
be developed will be,” Moss said. “I tions, the city will consider a final vote
want to thank the Indian River Land
Trust from saving us from ourselves.” on annexation in November. 

Erik Toomsoo.

FOR THIS YEAR’S ‘DUCK DERBY,’
RUBBER HITS THE VIRTUAL ROAD P. 16

18 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Hunt for Hope’: Determined to defeat insidious cancer

Adam Ogilvie and Linda Cyr. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES & MARY SCHENKEL Dr. Holly Hamilton and Mike Hamilton. Stacy Bond and John Willcoxson.

Zach, Brittney and Dr. Joshua Yanoviak with Mike and James Hamilton. Morene Scher with Sherrie, Kourtney and Kelly Beuth.

BY MARY SCHENKEL forms of breast cancer.
Staff Writer Rather than presenting as a lump,

By day, Dr. Holly Hamilton is the the disease initially appears as an in-
owner of Riverside Family Dental in fection or even a bug bite, with little or
Sebastian. But each October, she dons no initial pain, and it is rarely detected
a magical unicorn horn to lead fellow through mammograms. As a result,
fundraisers on the Hunt for Hope Flor- IBC is often misdiagnosed, delaying
ida to benefit the IBC Network Foun- critical treatment until it has pro-
dation, which funds clinical research gressed to Stage III or IV.
in hopes of finding a cure for Inflam-
matory Breast Cancer. So, in addition to fundraising, the
fun-filled hunt is also meant to educate
Because of the pandemic, this year’s members of the medical profession
eighth annual event was structured as and the public about this extremely
a week-long virtual scavenger hunt, aggressive, yet little known, form of
from Sept. 16 to Oct. 3, with individu- breast cancer. Hamilton started Hunt
als and teams fanning out through- for Hope Florida in honor of her friend
out their own neighborhoods. During Dr. Lori Grennan, a physician who
the hunt, the entire team had to par- began the first Hunt for Hope in Ohio
ticipate and photograph themselves while undergoing treatment for IBC.
completing all tasks. And at the end of
the week, participants got together at Before she ultimately lost her battle
Mash Monkeys Brewing Company to seven years ago, Grennan worked in
swap stories and receive prizes. partnership with the all-volunteer IBC
Network Foundation founded by Terry
While October is well known as Arnold to raise funds for all-important
Breast Cancer Awareness month, clinical research into this devastating
most people – many doctors includ- disease. The IBC Network Foundation
ed – are unaware of the signs of IBC. nationwide has raised over $1,000,000
This form primarily affects women for research since being founded in
under age 40 and it has a consider- 2011.
ably lower survival rate than other
For more information, visit theibc-
network.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 19

PEOPLE

Christine Crowley, Sherida Billman and Laura Aldrich.

Maddy Dunegan and her smiling dog Ruby.
Pam Grigas and James Hamilton.
Jeff and Lynn Wandell.

20 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

For this year’s ‘Duck Derby,’
rubber hits the virtual road

BY MARY SCHENKEL make sure no harm comes to them
from any ominous predators – espe-
Staff Writer cially sharks!

Ordinarily, toward the end of Octo- “They’re going to be doing all kinds
ber each year, the Capt. Hiram’s Sand of stuff; it’s gonna be fun,” said Den-
Bar goes a little ‘quackers’ as 5,000 nis Bartholomew, TCCH director of
bright yellow rubber duckies bob business development, adding that
their way toward the shoreline dur- adoptees will still be eligible for one
ing the Great Duck Derby to benefit of three cash prizes.
Treasure Coast Community Health.
“Every year we have two big fund-
The premise of the Duck Derby is raisers; one is a golf tournament and
to encourage people to ‘adopt’ rub- the other is the Duck Derby,” said
ber duckies ($5 apiece). On Derby Bartholomew. “But the golf tourna-
Day, 5,000 ducks dropped into the In- ment went by the wayside because of
dian River Lagoon and are funneled COVID, and the Duck Derby was off
toward the shore, with cash prizes and on, off and on, off and on.”
awarded to the owners of the first
three to reach the shoreline. At the time that they were making
final decisions, the Sand Bar was still
In the past, the fine-feathered under Phase 2, which mandated a
supporters and volunteers of TCCH 50-person maximum.
would wander the crowd, soliciting
duck adoptions for the race, and sell- “There would have been no roam-
ing a variety of duckies for people ing around, no band on the stage, no
to take home that had been cleverly anything. We bring 50 people of our
decorated by corporate sponsors. own and we walk around, because
that’s how we get people excited
But as everyone knows, this year about adopting ducks for the race,”
has been anything but ordinary. With said Bartholomew.
no end to the coronavirus in site, or-
ganizers opted to keep everyone safe Sponsors would help by decorating
by taking the event into the virtual additional ducks and increasing the
realm. amount raised, but the pandemic has
affected adoptions and sponsorships
Creativity is the name of the game alike.
with fundraisers in this new COVID-
culture, and TCCH is diving right in “We’ve lost a lot of sponsorships,
with a Virtual Duck Derbystreamed and we haven’t been able to get out
on Oct. 25. into the community to do any duck
adoptions,” said Bartholomew. He
Vero Beach lifeguards are involved noted that there were no festivals
this year and, as they do daily on over the spring or summer where
our local beaches and pools, will be they would ordinarily have encour-
watching over the little duckies to aged participation, and many of the

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 21

PEOPLE

Vero Beach lifeguards Erik Toomsoo, Tomas Ospina, Shaun Dibble and Patrick Sullivan. Vicki Soulé, Cheryl Michel, Elisa Sielski and Dennis Bartholomew.

Shaun Dibble. PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN Mikayla Michel.

Allie Hogan, Mikayla Michel and Arden Townsend dedicated to help people who cannot
with the Treasure Coast Community Health afford to pay for mental health ser-
Duck Derby mascot. vices.

marketing budgets of business spon- Overall, Bartholomew said, “we
sors were frozen thanks to the pan- served 25,000 people last year and
demic. about 87 percent of them were below
200 percent of the federal poverty
“So, it’s really rough here; we’re level, so they’re paying minimum to
struggling with it and trying to get it nothing for our services. And right
done,” said Bartholomew. “On top of now, the people who are coming to us
that, with the pandemic, our psychi- who can’t afford to pay has increased
atrists at TCCH have been slammed by 40 percent over last year.”
with people coming into us with de-
pression, anger, anxiety, suicidal ten- TCCH operates out of eight loca-
dencies.” tions, providing accessible, cost-ef-
fective, high-quality, comprehensive
As a result, they decided all funds care, including medical, dental and
from this year’s Duck Derby will be behavioral healthcare, to individuals
regardless of their socio-economic
circumstances on a sliding scale
based on income.

He noted that in 2019, TCCH pro-
vided 15,741 mental health visits
to 2,583 patients, adding that a 40
percent increase there alone would
mean another 1,000 patients.

“Adopting can really help some-
body get mental health services that
they need and can’t afford to pay for,”
said Bartholomew. “You can adopt
online; it’s really easy. It takes you
right to a page where you can adopt
one or as many ducks as you want.”

People can watch the Virtual Duck
Derby at 3 p.m. Sunday Oct. 25 on
Facebook Live. For more information,
visit thegreatduckderby.com. 





24 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY Taiwanese soldiers take part in
a military exercise at a base in
Kaohsiung, Jan. 2020. Taiwan has
roughly 175,000 full-time soldiers
and more than 1 million reserv-
ists ready to resist an
occupation.

High above the Western Pacific, the 1949. A tense peace is maintained as have an unfavorable view of China. In about 25 times more on its military than
pilot of an H-6K, a hulking Chinese long as Taiwan continues to say that it January Tsai Ing-wen of the Democrat- Taiwan, according to estimates from
bomber, presses a red button, and a is part of China. China once hoped that ic Progressive Party was resoundingly the Stockholm International Peace Re-
missile streaks toward a runway that reunification could be achieved blood- re-elected as president over a China- search Institute.
looks like one at Anderson Air Force lessly through growing economic and friendly rival.
Base on the island of Guam. The ground cultural ties. A decade ago, China had four times
ripples, and a huge explosion erupts. Defending Taiwan is growing ever as many warships as Taiwan. Today it
But two-thirds of Taiwanese no lon- harder. On paper, the military balance has six times as many. It has six times
Never mind that the People’s Libera- ger identify as Chinese, and 60 percent heavily favors Beijing. China spends the number of warplanes and eight
tion Army propaganda film released in times as many tanks.
September steals footage from Hol- TAIWANOUTGUNNEDINMATCHUPOFMILITARYMIGHT
lywood blockbusters; the message is American intelligence officials do not
that this is what America can expect if think that China is about to unleash this
it is foolhardy enough to intervene on firepower. China has never held even a
behalf of Taiwan in a regional war. single exercise on the scale that would
be required for a D-Day-type campaign.
The Chinese Communist Party has Indeed, no country has waged an am-
threatened to invade Taiwan for more phibious assault on a well-defended
than seven decades. Now fears are shore since America did so in Korea –
growing among analysts, officials and with good reason.
investors that it might actually follow
through over the next few years. But China’s optimistic version of an
all-out assault on Taiwan might go like
Last year Xi Jinping, China’s leader, this.
declared unification to be an “inevi-
table requirement for the historical Airstrikes would quickly aim to kill
rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” Taiwan’s top political and military
The PLA has stepped up pressure on leaders, while also immobilizing local
Taiwan in recent months, sending defenses. The Chinese military has de-
warplanes repeatedly across the “me- scribed some drills as “decapitation”
dian line” in the Taiwan Strait that exercises, and satellite imagery shows
long served as an unofficial maritime its training grounds include full-scale
boundary, and holding large naval replicas of targets such as Taiwan’s
drills off several parts of Taiwan’s coast. Presidential Office Building.

A democratic and prosperous coun- An invasion would follow, with PLA
try of 24 million people, Taiwan has not warships and submarines travers-
been ruled from the mainland since ing some 80 miles across the Taiwan
Strait. Outlying islands such as Kin-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 25

INSIGHT COVER STORY

TAIWAN’ S BEST LANDINGSITES ARE WELL DEFENDED men and Pratas could be quickly sub-
sumed before a fight for the Penghu
archipelago.

As Chinese ships speed across the
strait, thousands of paratroopers would
appear above Taiwan’s coastlines, look-
ing to penetrate defenses, capture stra-
tegic buildings and establish beach-
heads through which the PLA could
bring in tens of thousands of soldiers
who would secure a decisive victory.

In reality, any invasion is likely to be
much riskier. Taiwan has prepared for
one for decades, even if lately it has
struggled to match China’s growing
military advantage.

Taiwan’s main island has natural
defenses: Surrounded by rough seas
with unpredictable weather, its rug-
ged coastline offers few places with
a wide beach suitable for large ships
that could bring in enough troops
to subdue its 24 million people. The
mountainous terrain is riddled with
tunnels designed to keep key leaders
alive, and could provide cover for in-
surgents if China established control.

Although China could wipe out Tai-
wan’s navy and air force, says William
Murray of the US Naval War College, the
island would still be able to fire anti-ship
missiles at an invading armada, picking
out targets with mobile radar units hid-
den in the mountainous interior.

That could make mincemeat of big
ships crossing a narrow strait. “The PLA
can’t use precision weapons to attack
small, mobile things,” says Ethan Lee,
who as chief of general staff at Taiwan’s
defense ministry in 2017-19 developed
a strategy for asymmetrical warfare.

Nor can China put all its forces to
use. “Only a fraction of the PLA could
be deployed,” says Dennis Blasko, a
former American army attaché in Bei-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Howitzers fire munitions during
an annual Taiwanese military
exercise in Taichung, July 2020.
The drills are aimed at repelling
a Chinese invasion across the
Taiwan Strait.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 INSIGHT COVER STORY

jing, “because its overwhelming num- CHINESEANDU.S. FORCESCOULDCLASHOVERTAIWAN think-tank, assumed that Taiwan
bers can’t all fit into the Taiwan front or would fight tenaciously, and that Amer-
in the airspace surrounding Taiwan at A beach between Linkou coal- ica would have access to weapons still
one time.” fired power plant and Zhuwei under development. Under those ros-
Fish Harbor near Taipei ier circumstances, the island survives
Satellite reconnaissance would give but even then only at huge cost. The
Taiwan weeks of warning to harden seas around Taiwan would look “like
defenses and mobilize reserves. Blasko no-man’s-land at the Somme,” notes
says the island is “very defensible, if it is Christopher Dougherty of CNAS.
properly prepared and the people have
the will to defend it.” The question is whether America
has the stomach for this. The conquest
Alas, Taiwan’s preparedness and its of Taiwan would not just dent Ameri-
will to fight both look shaky. “I have can prestige but also expose the outly-
met artillery observers who have nev- ing islands of Japan, an ally America is
er seen their own mortars fired,” he pledged to defend.
said. Despite long-standing efforts to
make the island indigestible, Taiwan’s The Trump administration has sent
armed forces are still overinvested in several high-level officials to Taipei to
warplanes and tanks. Less than half of show its support – one reason for the re-
Taiwanese polled in August evinced a cent Chinese bluster. In Congress sup-
willingness to fight if war came. port for Taiwan is at “new highs,” says
Bonnie Glaser of the Centre for Strate-
A vital question is therefore whether gic and International Studies (CSIS), an-
Americans would do so, for the sake other think-tank.
of a distant country whose defense
spending has fallen steadily as a share Polls by CSIS show that Americans
of GDP over two decades. America broadly support coming to Taiwan’s
does not have a formal alliance with aid, roughly as much as they support
Taiwan. But it sells the island weapons helping South Korea, Japan or Austra-
– $13 billion-worth over the past four lia. Such enthusiasm may wane, how-
years – and has long implied that it ever, if American ships start getting
would help repel an invasion if Taiwan sunk in large numbers.
had not provoked one.
American losses in the CNAS wargame
Yet the same trend that imperils Tai- amount to a hundred or so aircraft, doz-

wan in the first place – China’s growing Below: Coastal barriers A Chinese military training com- ens of ships and perhaps a couple of car-
military power – also raises the price of off the coast of Kaohsiung. plex in Inner Mongolia, shown riers. “An aircraft-carrier has 5,000 peo-
American involvement. in this satellite image taken on ple on it,” says Murray. “That’s 100 voters
Sept. 29, includes full-scale rep- in every state of our union. That’s a lot of
In wargames set five or more years in licas of targets such as Taiwan’s funerals.”
the future, “the United States starts los- Presidential Office Building.
ing people and hardware in the theatre Fear of such losses might deter an
very quickly,” says David Ochmanek of Anti-landing barricades on American president from entering the
the RAND Corporation, a think-tank. a beach on Kinmen island. fray.
“Surface combatants tend to stay far
from the fight, forward air bases get The DF-26 is showcased during a military parade in Beijing to celebrate the 70th anniversary Escalation might go even further.
heavily attacked and we’re unable to of the People's Republic of China’s founding, in Oct. 2019. The fact that Chinese nuclear missiles
project power sufficiently into the bat- can now reach any American city rais-
tlespace to defeat the invasion.” es the stakes dramatically. “When the
bullets really start flying,” says Michael
America is disadvantaged by geogra- Hunzeker of George Mason University,
phy, with its air force reliant on a handful “the American people, most of whom
of Asian bases well within range of Chi- can’t find Taiwan on a map, will be
nese missiles. American bombers can hard-pressed to say, ‘I’m really willing
swoop in from the safety of American to trade Los Angeles for Taipei.’”
soil, but there is a shortage of missiles to
arm them. Nor is it clear how America’s Despite the saber rattling, China
technology-dependent armed forces and Taiwan have many reasons to
would fare against an inevitable physi- avoid a war that could kill tens of thou-
cal and electronic barrage on their sat- sands, devastate their economies and
ellites and computer networks. potentially lead to a nuclear conflict
with the U.S. and its allies.
In another wargame conducted
earlier this year, the Centre for a New The overwhelming consensus re-
American Security (CNAS), another mains that Beijing will continue efforts
to control Taiwan through military

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 27

INSIGHT COVER STORY

threats, diplomatic isolation and eco- al condemnation in squashing Hong major crisis is coming,” said Ian Easton, eral hundreds of thousands in casual-
nomic incentives. Equities in Taiwan Kong’s pro-democracy camp, militariz- senior director at the Project 2049 Insti- ties,” he said. “But that may be a price
have recently hit record highs. ing contested South China Sea land fea- tute who wrote “The Chinese Invasion Xi Jinping is willing to pay. We under-
tures and setting up reeducation camps Threat: Taiwan’s Defense and American estimate the CCP’s capacity for radical
But while an invasion carries enor- for more than a million Muslim Uighurs Strategy in Asia.” decision making at our peril.” 
mous risks for the party, Xi has shown in Xinjiang.
he will take strong action on territo- “Taiwan fighting by itself could make Parts of this article were appeared
rial disputes. He’s ignored internation- “I am increasingly concerned that a Beijing pay a terrible price, at least sev- first in The Economist and Bloomberg.

28 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

When CEOs these days talk about what’s ahead in companies are now 65 percent digital, compared to – and 44 percent were using new devices or apps to
the business world, they often deliver the same mes- 41 percent pre-crisis. Changes made to cope with manage conditions.
sage: Many of the changes driven by the coronavirus the pandemic – like moving to cloud computing or
pandemic are likely to be permanent. online purchasing – are “likely to stick in the long Americans may demand a stronger social safety
term.” net, post-pandemic. A September report by the Pew
After it’s over, we’ll have a “new normal” that will Research Center found that 63 percent of Americans
look and feel different from the way we were living The shock of the pandemic quickly altered some agreed it is the “government’s responsibility to make
before. consumer habits. A July report from McKinsey found sure all Americans have health care coverage,” com-
that Americans were spending more on groceries, pared with 59 percent a year ago.
Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of Uber, household supplies and home entertainment and
was the latest business leader to describe this post- less on almost everything else. Seventy-five percent The covid-19 pandemic has inflicted post-trau-
pandemic reality. Last week, he predicted that his said they had changed their shopping behavior, and matic stress on adults and children, which may per-
company’s Uber Eats courier service, which explod- most said they planned to continue. sist. Studies this year in China, Britain, Spain, Italy
ed in popularity after the lockdown, will be about and Canada of covid-19 patients found PTSD symp-
equal in size to its traditional ride-share business Health has obviously been a paramount issue toms, such as depression, anxiety and sleeplessness,
going forward, after the pandemic is over. during the pandemic, and changes in this sector according to Psychiatric Times.
are likely to stick, too. A July study by Accenture of
Data from polling organizations, consultants and 2,700 patients in the United States and other indus- A study of 8,079 junior and senior high school stu-
research analysts all make similar points. Some as- trial countries found that 70 percent had canceled dents in China found that 43.7 percent experienced
pects of life will return to the way they were before, or deferred in-person treatment, but that 9 out of 10 depressive symptoms and 37.4 percent experienced
but many won’t. A September study of 13,200 Amer- thought their care was as good or better than before anxiety during the epidemic period.
icans by the Pew Research Center reported that 51
percent believed their lives would remain changed A cruel aspect of the pandemic is that it has harmed
in major ways. minority groups most and exacerbated America’s
racial and economic inequalities. Black people and
Researchers offer some baseline predictions. Tech- Hispanics are far more likely to say they have had
nology will allow people to work, shop and study trouble paying bills or rent, or have a family member
remotely, and many people will continue the habits who lost work or had to take a pay cut, according to a
they’ve acquired since March. Nimble companies September survey by the Pew Research Center.
and workers will race ahead; others may be left be-
hind. Racial and economic inequalities may deepen Like the “greatest generation” that emerged from
unless they’re addressed forcefully. depression and war, the pandemic generation has
been tested – and it seems to be deepening its com-
The pandemic, like past national crises, has dem- mitment to a diverse and sustainable America. The
onstrated the nation’s flexibility, as well as its vul- millennial generation is also passionate about deal-
nerability. The federal government may have been ing with the threat of climate change.
paralyzed because of political divisions and poor
leadership at the federal, state and local levels, but The shared hardship of the pandemic will change
studies show that private businesses adapted with America, as surely as did the Great Depression and
astonishing speed. World War II.

A report this month by the consulting firm McK- The pain is obvious now, but so is the resilience.
insey & Co. found that companies had shifted to re- We’ll be a different country in the future, but maybe
mote work more than 40 times faster than they ex- a stronger one. 
pected possible.
A version of this column by David Ignatius first ap-
Interactions with customers for North American peared in The Washington Post. It does not necessar-
ily reflect the views of Vero Beach 32963.

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

© 2020 Vero Beach 32963 Media, all rights reserved VERTEBROPLASTY/KYPHOPLASTY VERTEBROPLASTY

As we age, our bones become more brittle; falls and injuries that Vertebroplasty increases functional abilities, reduces spinal defor-
wouldn’t have broken a bone in our youth now may. When bones mity, resolves pain and stabilizes fractures without major surgery or
in the spine (vertebrae) become brittle and weaken, they lose their prolonged recovery.
ability to support the body’s normal daily activities. If numerous The surgeon makes a half-inch incision in the back over the fractured
tiny cracks develop, the bone may collapse, causing a spinal com- bone area, and injects a liquid glue-like acrylic bone cement mixture
pression fracture in which the bone crushes. into the bone through a long, hollow needle to harden and strength-
If several vertebra fracture, the spine may collapse, resulting in loss en it. Fluoroscopy, in which X-rays provide real-time moving images
of height, deformity and/or kyphosis (a hunchback posture). of the interior of the area, ensures that the cement goes where it’s
needed. The cement hardens in approximately 10 minutes.
OSTEOPOROSIS The patient is usually able to go home the same day or after a one-
night hospital stay and resume normal activity within 24 hours.
Bone is living tissue. When not enough bone is created to replace Most patients gain lasting pain relief.
bone that breaks down, one or more vertebrae may weaken, be-
come brittle and crumple due to osteoporosis (“porous bone”). KYPHOPLASTY
Osteoporosis affects men and women of all races, but is most com-
mon in white and Asian post-menopausal females. Many people This procedure reduces unwanted kyphosis (hunchback curvature
have no symptoms until they have a bone fracture. of the spine) by raising the vertebra back to its normal height. Ky-
People with osteoporosis must be vigilant to avoid falls. For them, phoplasty corrects bone deformity and relieves pain. It also helps
lifting a heavy object, bending over, or even a slight bump, sneeze prevent further collapse, which is common after an initial fracture.
or cough can cause a fracture. If physical therapy and medications Kyphoplasty is used to treat more severe compression fractures of
fail to relieve pain, and symptoms become disabling, vertebroplasty the spine. A tube is inserted through a half-inch incision in the back
or kyphoplasty may be recommended. into the damaged vertebrae, and fluoroscopy guides the surgeon
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty safely and effectively relieve in placing a balloon in the appropriate place. The balloon is inflated
back pain due to compression fractures caused by osteoporosis. to lift the compressed vertebra back to its natural height. Once the
If these fractures are left untreated, the patient may experience balloon is deflated and removed, cement is injected into the cavity.
excruciating pain, develop a hunched-forward posture and lose As with vertebroplasty, the cement mixture hardens in about 10
height. minutes. The patient goes home the day of surgery or the next day,
can usually resume normal activity within 24 hours and, in most
cases, enjoys lasting pain relief. 
Your comments and suggestions for future topics are always wel-
come. Email us at editor@32963staff.com.

30 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

Susan Sontag. to seek out collaborators, for he
knew that the task of creating
Leonardo da Vinci. Islamic schol- “the science which contains the
principles of all the other sci-
THE POLYMATH ars with ences” was just too big for one
individual.
A CULTURAL HISTORY FROM wide-ranging
LEONARDO DA VINCI TO SUSAN SONTAG Burke writes about obstacles
interests pre- to learning that frustrated even
BY PETER BURKE | YALE. 327 PP. $30 the most determined poly-
REVIEW BY MICHAEL S. ROTH, THE WASHINGTON POST vented the loss maths. Women, for example,
were often denied access to the
What counts as knowledge? Answers differ in dif- of much knowl- educational foundations on
ferent times and places, and even in a single time and which the search for knowledge
place there are multiple paths for knowledge seekers. edge from the can be built; and when they
Today’s students, teachers and scholars generally were able to get to a school or
recognize that their own education is partial at best ancient world. even someone’s library, the pa-
and that even prized discoveries may be rejected by triarchal practices there often
others later on. Still, every once in a while less intel- In the West, the proved prohibitive. Although
lectually humble individuals arise who think they Burke finds examples of women
can know it all, who seek to learn everything there is idea of an intel- who were polymaths – he cites Ger-
to know. We call them polymaths. maine de Staël, Harriet Martineau and
lectual whose George Eliot, among others – their
Peter Burke, the author of “The Polymath: A Cul- quests were undermined by cultural
tural History From Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Son- quest for inquiry knows no bounds is often “niches” available to men but not to
tag,” is a cultural historian with an abiding interest in women.
the history of knowledge and its organization, mostly associated with the European Renaissance (1400- Burke says nothing about race, and
in the West. In principle, there is nothing in the past I suppose that’s because he doesn’t
that would fall outside of cultural history, and there 1600), and the ideal type of this “universal man” is think it relevant to his subject. Per-
is something polymathic about Burke’s approach. haps I am missing someone, but I
He writes with easy authority about extraordinary Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo’s curiosity is legendary, don’t find a single polymath of Af-
scholars from many countries over several hundred rican descent in his list of 500. No
years, but he can provide only quick sketches of their and his ability to put that curiosity to work – in paint- W.E.B. Du Bois (historian, sociolo-
achievements and ambitions. He is attentive to the gist, author, political leader), no Zora
rise of specific scientific disciplines, with their pow- ing, in science, in engineering – set the standard for Neale Hurston (writer, anthropolo-
erful ways of organizing what we think we know, and gist, filmmaker), no Frantz Fanon
to efforts to resist these modes of organization. What polymaths. At the same time, his hunger for learning (writer, physician, philosopher,
it means to learn everything changes as cultures psychoanalyst). Alain Locke, phi-
change. To be a know-it-all in the Renaissance took was often twinned with impatience and an inabil- losopher and “dean” of the Harlem
considerable time and effort, even for the most bril- Renaissance, goes unmentioned.
liant; to be a know-it-all today requires only a good ity to stick to a task and see it through. Burke dubs Burke notes that his list is subjec-
smartphone, and that does not in itself produce a tive, and of course one can always
polymath. this the “Leonardo syndrome,” a defect in polymaths argue about particular choices.
Still, the absence of any of these
Burke notes that there were polymaths, of course, whose intellectual restlessness prevents them from Black polymaths bears mention.
outside the West, and he underscores that learned In the 18th century, the conditions of polymathy
finishing things properly. shifted as intellectuals came to regard the universe
less as an animate being and more as a machine.
If the Renaissance seeded the early modern version That, coupled with increased specialization, made it
both more challenging and more important to aim
of the polymath, the 17th century saw its flowering in at holistic knowledge. It was more challenging be-
cause as disciplines developed they adopted jargon
what at the time were called “monsters of erudition.” or methods (or both) often impenetrable to outsid-
ers. It was more important because “viewing the big
They collected thousands of books, learned dozens picture and pointing out connections that specialists
had missed” opened up pathways for new discover-
of languages and wrote poetry while attending to the ies and inventions. Mary Somerville did this in her
synthetic and accessible exploration of the connec-
latest developments in the sciences. Some collected tions among the sciences, as did Charles Darwin in
writing “On the Origin of Species.”
unusual objects from distant places; others managed Burke writes knowledgeably about the rise of in-
terdisciplinary programs in the past 75 years or so.
the affairs of their own cities while writing thousands “We have moved from an age of institutionalized
specialization in the second half of the nineteenth
of pages of essays, fiction and futurist speculation. century,” he says, “to an age of institutionalized
anti-specialization in the second half of the twenti-
And the correspondence! Deeply invested in net- eth century and beyond.” In his coda to “The Poly-
math,” the historian worries that in our Internet
works of knowing, they wrote letters to interlocutors age, when at our fingertips we find so much scan-
nable knowledge, we are losing the capacity to dig
far and wide. In some cases, fame bred intellectual deep and become truly absorbed in a variety of sub-
jects. His survey of polymaths is a reminder of the
arrogance, as with Athanasius Kircher, about whom importance of doing just that. 

Burke judges, “More serious than his failures was

his continued belief in his success.” Gottfried Wil-

helm Leibniz, on the other hand, was always eager

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 31

ST. EDWARD’S

Thanks to safety protocols, St. Ed’s fall school play will go on

BY GEORGE ANDREASSI
Staff Writer

Thanks to observance of safety Isabella Giasi, a sixth-grader at St. Edward’s School, sings “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from “Annie” on Monday.
protocols, the St. Ed’s fall play will go
on this weekend. The staging allows for all students to be 12 feet apart so they don’t have to be masked. PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN

So far, the social distancing, the Drama teacher Maggie Baker speaks with eighth-grader Grace Griffeth, who will be play the part of “Tessie.” Rebecca Hurley.
masks and other safety protocols
have been working at St. Edward’s son on Oct. 2, and schedule the semes- tancing were among the initiatives St. ing to remain as normal as possible,”
School, with just one person con- ter play for this weekend. Edward’s School undertook to prevent Hirstein said. “So far so good.”
tracting the coronavirus since the the spread of the virus on campus in
school year started. St. Edward’s School students are the new school year. Arts patrons can purchase tickets for
scheduled to present a livestream “Annie” on the school website (steds.
That single case at the Lower School production of the Broadway play “An- Thanksgiving break will be held as org) .
in early September resulted in 24 stu- nie” while singing on platforms 12 feet usual, albeit with a warning to remain
dents quarantining, school spokes- apart on the stage at the Waxlax Per- vigilant against the virus, particularly They will then receive a link en-
woman Monica Jennings said. All have forming Arts Center. for students who are traveling, Hirst- abling them to view the school play on
since returned to school. ein said. a livestream program at 7 p.m., Friday,
The livestreaming of this semester’s Oct. 16 and/or Saturday, Oct. 17. 
Otherwise, classes and other activi- school play and the onstage social dis- “We’re doing it as best we can, try-
ties at the private school many barrier
island children attend have continued
uninterrupted this fall, including re-
hearsals for the fall school play, which
will be presented via livestream on
Friday.

“We really have not had a problem
with mask compliance,” Jennings said
Thursday.

“We started the year with this
hashtag: #worktogether2btogether.
Everybody is on board. They want to
be here, and they want to be with their
friends.

“If that’s what it takes, they’re will-
ing to do it.”

Head of School Stuart Hirstein cred-
ited St. Ed’s relative success in hold-
ing off the virus to a detailed plan for
reopening the 26-acre island campus
and a commitment by the students
and staff members to follow health
and safety rules.

“Masks, I think, are a critical com-
ponent in all of this just to stop the
spread,” Hirstein said Thursday.
“We’ve been very fortunate it’s be-
come habit for us and the kids.

“We’ve not had any negative com-
ments of our protocols,” Hirstein said.
“People are happy to be back on cam-
pus.”

Other safety measures include hir-
ing a second school nurse, screening
students for fever daily, installing
plexiglass dividers on three sides of
desks, and setting up outdoor eat-
ing and studying stations, Jennings
said.

Local physicians who send their
children to St. Ed’s joined state Health
Department officials in advising
school leaders on health and safety
measures for the campus, Hirstein
said.

As a result, the school has been able
to hold classes without interruption,
host its first football game of the sea-

32 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PETS

Bonz has a blast meeting beautiful, bilingual Bella

Hi Dog Buddies! She showed it to me. It was Sometimes we almost don’t recog-
nize each other.”
Bella Hendricks is a big, beautiful, blue and looked Extremely Im-
9-year-old German Shepherd from a “Shut the doghouse door!”
faraway country I’d never heard of. Slow- portant. “Woof, Bella, that is Ex- “I’m serious. It’s my absolutely
VAH-key-uh. FAV-rite Thing! Of course, they hose
tra Crispy Biscuits!” I exclaimed. us down an dry us off before we go
Bella an her Mom an Dad welcomed home.”
us in, an Bella trotted up for the Wag-an- “The breeder drove me to the “Do you have a BFF?”
Sniff. Her fur was soft and thick an she “I did. Kingston. He’s a Cavalier
had those pawsome sticky-uppy ears. I airport in Prague, which is in a King Charles Spaniel. We met on
felt like saluting. neighborhood leash walks. He was
country I can’t pruh-nounce. I way littler an younger than me an
“Good morning,” I said, standing as he’d come right up an steal my tennis
tall as I could (which still wasn’t as tall as was put in my own crate, then balls. Just a goofy puppy, you know. He
Bella). “It’s a great pleasure.” moved away an I really miss him. My
me an a way smaller, very cud- Paw Prints pooch pal is Bosley, he’s a
“Good morning, Mr. Bonzo. Do come Cool Kibbles Standard Poo.”
in.” Her voice was surprisingly soft. “I’m dly travelling companion were “Any favrite foodstuffs?”
Bella Hendricks, and this is my Mom an “YES! Hard-boiled Eggs. I try to wait
Daddy, Nancy and Chris. I’m looking loaded into one of those big, patiently while Mom boils my egg, then
forward to sharing my story.” hasta let it cool. If it takes too long, I must
metal bird-machines, which admit I occasionally whine. I mean,
After obtaining permission, my assis- they’re just So Yummy!
tant rooted around in The Satchel for a flew to New York City, where Bella.PHOTO: KAILA JONES “When I’m eating my regular food, I
duh-LI-shus, turkey-an-sweet-puh-tay- we hadda long delay. By the want Mom or Daddy to watch. I’m not a
doh dog treat. Bella came over to help, time we got to Orlando, where Lap Dog, but I just want them to be close.
gently accepted the treat an daintily de- If they’re not there, I wait. In the evening,
voured it. She then curled up gracefully. we were getting picked up, I we all watch TV. Then, when I’m sleepy,
“So, shall I begin?” I like Mom to stay with me for a while.”
was more than ready to va- Heading home, I was thinking about
“Ready when you are.” how Bella was a fearless world traveler
“I came from a Very Excellent Breed- cate my crate. Well, the first pooch Mom an Mom got FRUSS-trated. So she talked when she was still just a Pupper. An how,
er/Dog Importer in YOUR-Up, in the even though she’s Big, Strong an Seri-
country of Slow-VAH-key-uh,” she be- an Daddy spotted was my little travel- to my Dog Importers an found out I only ously Impressive Looking (with a Big,
gan. “They train an import dogs like me, Strong, Seriously Impressive Bark), she’s
mostly for careers with the military or ling companion, sitting quietly in his understood Slovakian. Either she hadda also a sweet, frenly, loving companion.
pleece. But not all of ’em. Although I’m Till next time,
extremely well-trained (not to brag, but crate looking adorable. Mom an Daddy learn Slovakian or I hadda learn Eng-
we German Shepherds are very, very The Bonz
smart), I am a companion kinda dog. A thought HE was their pooch an were lish.”
family dog. Don’t Be Shy
“Mom an Daddy had lost their previ- saying how sweet he was when the Hu- “Let me take a wild guess what hap-
ous German Shepherd, Max, and were We are always looking for pets
looking for another who was healthy, man In Charge said nope, it was the oth- pened,” I said. We both laughed. with interesting stories.
with a great disposition anna good
bloodline. They couldn’t find what they er pooch, at which point I burst outta the “So, now I’m bilingual,” she stated To set up an interview, email
wanted at Max’s breeder, so they ex- bonzothecolumnist@gmail.com.
panded their search. The minute they crate and shot off like a rocket, zoomin’ proudly. “But, for a few months, I was
spotted my adorable puppy pick-shur,
that was that, an my exciting journey be- all over the cargo section, with several rather a wild puppy, frenly an happy, but
gan. First off, I needed a passport.”
humans in hot pursuit.” pretty much bouncin’ off the walls. I’d

“Oh, Woof!” fly up and down the stairs, zoom in an

Bella laughed. “It took six humans to outta the rooms. We were all goin’ a little

catch me. Even on the way back, with crazy. So Mom an Daddy signed me up

Mom driving an Daddy holding me, I at Paw Prints, where a very nice human

didn’t stop wigglin.’ called Mr. Sean teaches pooches about

“They were wondering how’d I’d ad- O-B-D-ence, Proper Puppy Behavior, an

just in a strange, new place with no fields Socializin’ With Fellow Dogs. I loved it.

to run in an no sleepin’ under the stars. I was such a good student (have I men-

They had a fluffy bed and numerous toys tioned I’m Very Smart?) that I was asked

an stuffies ready for me, which was love- to help Mr. Sean train other pooch stu-

ly, but it still took some time to settle in, dents.”

an things got a bit bumpy. For example, “Cool Kibbles!”

whenever I didn’t have my leash on, I’d “The totally most fun thing was the

take off RUNNING. The neighbors were Pond Parties.”

always sayin’ to each other, ‘There goes “What’s a Pond Party?”

Bella!’ “Well, there’s this shallow pond where

“Mom has trained dogs before, so she we all splash around. Right next to it,

pretty soon started Basic Puppy Behav- there’s a whole bunch of duh-lightful,

ior trainin’. But for some reason (even squishy MUD, which we’re allowed to

though I’m Very Smart), I got con-FUSED roll around in AS MUCH AS WE WANT!!

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 33

INSIGHT BRIDGE

NORTH

TWO POSSIBILITIES DOUBLE YOUR CHANCE J3

By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist A6

Kin Hubbard said, “The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and A Q 10 8 5 4
put it in your pocket.”
A Q 10
In a bridge deal, occasionally a player will worry about only one suit when he should
also be considering other options. Doubling his chance of success is better, and WEST EAST
benefiting from all four suits is best. K Q 10 9 8 7
J 10 5 2 652
In this week’s deal, how should South play in three no-trump after West leads the 6
spade king and East signals with the two? What do you think about the auction? J7 K9

West’s weak jump overcall certainly made life difficult for his opponents — this is why J973
players pre-empt. North had an easy three-diamond response, the new suit at the
three-level being a game-force. South had no real choice but to take a shot at three 9842
no-trump. Then North was too strong to pass, in my opinion. A raise to four no-trump
seems merited, but that would have been one too high here. The auction would have SOUTH
been even harder if East had raised to three spades, getting to the three-level with a
nine-card fit. (Five diamonds can be made, but it requires good guesswork.) A4

In three no-trump, South must get home without losing the lead. It is too easy to Q8743
assume that the diamonds will run. But if they don’t, from where can those nine
winners come? K2

Declarer needs to see these nine: one spade, one heart, three diamonds and four K653
clubs. After taking the second trick with the spade ace, play on clubs. When the jack
drops on the second round, take the club 10, cross to the diamond king, cash the Dealer: South; Vulnerable: Neither
club king and claim.
The Bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Hearts 2 Spades 3 Diamonds Pass
3 NT Pass Pass Pass LEAD:
K Spades





36 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (OCTOBER 8) ON PAGE 52

The Telegraph ACROSS DOWN
1 Hairdresser (6) 1 Larger (6)
4 Lines up (6) 2 Unhappy (4)
7 Backup (9) 3 Spoiled (6)
9 Strong wind (4) 4 Duvets (6)
10 Ditty (4) 5 Lugs (4)
11 Chairs (5) 6 Phases (6)
13 Jog the memory (6) 7 A metal (9)
14 Beams (6) 8 Child (9)
15 Cloth for painting on(6) 11 Creep (5)
17 Go up and down (6) 12 Footwear (5)
19 Retains (5) 15 Informal (6)
20 Rotated (4) 16 Add flavour to (6)
22 Sustain (4) 17 Type of cake (6)
2 3Envoy (9) 18 Alerted (6)
24 Slacken (6) 21 Report (4)
25 Lengthen (6) 22 Twisted (4)

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 / October 15, 2020 37

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS movie? 44 They try harder The Washington Post
103 Ms. Gardner 45 Jazz guitarist Farlow
1 Bus. degree 104 Impressionist 46 Pub drinks IF STEPHEN KING REWROTE EVERYTHING By Merl Reagle
4 Not out of the question 47 Registration question
10 Doe or Deere painter Mary 48 10 Across, in Rome
14 Cotton on a stick 105 Chick of jazz 50 Worthless stuff
18 Daiquiri spirit 106 Stephen King rewrite of a 51 Seeing things?
19 French water 54 Patriotic grp.
20 Spanish water Chaplin-Keaton film? 58 Previously unknown
21 Sighing words 111 Mag. staff 60 Fingers
22 Stephen King rewrite of a Tim 112 Mr. Burr 61 Worship
113 Atmosphere 62 Compliance comment
Robbins satire? 114 Introduction to bats? 64 Mr. Brooks
24 Misfortunes 115 See 98 Across 66 Written explanation
25 Rhymin’ Diamond 118 Soda meas. 67 Hair hue
26 M star 119 Romances 68 What Barney often calls
27 Annual checkup pros 120 Tartuffe penner
28 With 34 Across, Stephen King 121 Iota Andy’s kid
122 Letter from a Viking? 69 Olympic weapon
rewrite 123 Picnic playwright 70 Imminent
of a Doris Day movie? 124 Birthplace of Garbo and Nobel 74 Subj. for Safire
30 “Peeper” parts 125 Commotion 75 Three or four
31 They light up the phones 76 Drainpipe U
33 Org. with a DOWN 77 Friendly farewell
caduceus logo 79 Without changes
34 See 28 Across 1 No. 1 hit by the 81 Premiere
36 Purple shade Fleetwoods, 1959 82 Little bird
38 Noncommissioned rank in 85 Unprincipled one
Navy or Coast Guard 2 Watch brand 86 Instant-replay cameras, for
41 Hinges (on) 3 Old word meaning “a girl in
42 ___ Na Na short
43 Sickly white love” 87 “Too late”
45 Hybrid citrus 4 “In excelsis ___” 88 Sit astride,
49 Stephen King rewrite of a 5 Sphere
Brando-Niven movie? 6 “Rules ___ to be broken” as a fence
52 Sport section? 7 George Shearing’s “Lullaby of 90 One 10-year period
53 Dial-a-bouquet: abbr. 94 Approaching cliché status
55 Pass on ___” 97 Mzuzu’s nation
56 Sauce thickener 8 Allow to drift along 98 It’s OK on Atkins or in a paleo
57 Dud on wheels 9 Crisis ctrs. of a sort
59 “___ feasting” 10 Locks up diet
(Esther 9:18) 11 Linger over lingerie? 99 Way
63 Fa lead-in 12 Pacific shimmy 100 Spanish for “On your feet!”
65 With 84 Across, Stephen King 13 County east of Queens 101 Nikita’s successor
rewrite of a 1950s musical? 14 Post-lecture sess. 102 Serenaded
71 Over the hill, in a way 15 Vincent’s supportive brother 103 Stun
72 Juicy news 16 Poker player’s words 104 Selected
73 Cartoon skunk Pepe 17 Linus and 106 Nation next to Namibia: abbr.
75 Abbr. on office mail 107 Humdinger
78 Surface-___ missile Lucy Van ___ 108 Smooth (out)
80 R. Murrow, for ex. 19 Have authority (over), as a 109 Symbol
83 Part of ROM 110 Sailor’s quaff
84 See 65 Across meeting 115 TV weatherman’s org.
89 Flubbers’ rubbers 23 Dracula author Stoker 116 Tiny
91 Have dinner delivered 28 Get nosy 117 Southwest annex?
92 Criticize, slangily 29 Austen or Bronte title
93 Samuel Pepys’s signoff, “And
___” character
95 New Deal agcy. 31 Slangy $100 bill
96 Iowa State city 32 She, in Pisa
98 With 115 Across, Stephen 35 Part of SASE
King rewrite of a Hugh Grant 36 Punxsutawney’s groundhog
37 Ecstasy star Hedy
38 End of a sneeze
39 Land on Lake Titicaca
40 Cameo stone
42 German-born Wimbledon

winner

The Telegraph

38 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

If he can’t stand the eats, he should get in the kitchen

BY CAROLYN HAX guage or euphemism or emotional outbursts to spin
Washington Post them. We’re entitled to have things spelled out for us
before we respond to them. So hold out for his true
Dear Carolyn: I am a woman, reasoning.

well into my 50s, with a career, and And while we’re here: He is also entitled to make his
case that your “deal” isn’t lopsided, if that’s what he
married to the same man over 25 believes, and that dinner isn’t just about food.

years. We are now empty-nesters To be clear, this is all just about the communication
part; as for the chore itself, you quit or keep doing it
and both working from home. We as you see fit. But either of those choices will sit bet-
ter with both of you if you invest in the hard work of
usually fix our own breakfast and mutual understanding.

lunch. Sometimes I fix his; he never fixes me anything. Please apply this same process to all lopsided
“deals” that need right-siding, and soon. If he’s coop-
I usually fix dinner for him, which is always something erative, then a one-time empty-nester overhaul can
hold you another 25 years. If not, then dinner might
different than what I would eat. (Why are Triscuits, be the first of many course corrections.

cheese and a glass of wine not “dinner”?) I find it time-

consuming and thankless.

This weekend, he criticized my cooking to other peo-

ple, then he complained his dinner wasn’t ready and

stormed out to a drive-through. I was literally pulling

a meal out of the oven for him, not me, when he left.

I think it’s time for me to stop cooking for him. Do I Hi, Carolyn: I’m going weekly to my longtime thera-

just stop? After 25 years? This is not the only lopsided point is to be punitive then you have bigger problems pist and not feeling like I’m getting anything from the
than dinner.
deal I signed up for. sessions anymore. How do I bring this up and “break
Don’t speak up to ask or justify, but only to say what
– Anonymous you’re planning and why, so he knows how you feel up,” or take a break from my therapist?
and what to expect.
– Breaking Up
If this triggers more outburst cheeseburgers, then
Anonymous: Which 50s are you in? replay his stance for him calmly when he’s back: “You Breaking Up: You say thank you! For the long
Yes, you stop. And, yes, Triscuits, cheese and wine seem to want me to keep making a dinner I don’t want time you did get something from your sessions.
are dinner. to cook or eat anymore. Yes, no? Please explain.” Then say you feel ready to stop.
If by “just” stop you mean quit without comment,
then I’d advise against that; your husband’s recent for- Everyone’s entitled to ask for unreasonable things If you don’t want to take the scaffolding of your
ay into public shaming and tantrums notwithstand- (it’s just asking, after all), but we don’t have to let any- appointments away all at once, then you can also
ing, you two are in a marriage and owe each other one get away with using implication or coded lan- cut back to every other week or once a month,
mature status reports and chances to respond. If the then reassess. 

ADDITION BY ABSTRACTION:
ARTIST FINDS JOY IN NEW GENRE

40 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ADDITION BY ABSTRACTION:ARTS&THEATRE
ARTIST FINDS JOY IN NEW GENRE

Janet Kipp Tribus.

PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES

BY ELLEN FISCHER | COLUMNIST

Painter Janet Kipp Tribus says she for her painted idylls of rolling farm-
works every day in her private studio, lo- land dotted with little houses and
cated in an office building a little north crisscrossed with lanes where, rain or
of Bethel Creek House on A1A. She is shine, women and girls strolled under
the only artist among the professionals open red umbrellas.
there, whose staid management and
real estate offices line the dim, softly “I did those paintings from 1984 to
carpeted hallway of her floor. It is not 2015,” she says, noting they were in-
until the door swings open onto the spired by the countryside near her for-
Tribus studio, where geometric abstrac- mer home of Montclair, New Jersey.
tions shine from every wall, that you
know you aren’t in Kansas anymore. The 30 years she spent exploring and
refining her subject were happy ones,
It has been more than a couple years she says. She loved the peace of the
since she left her comfort zone at Palm country, whose mood she never tired
House Gallery, the second-floor studio of revisiting in her oil on canvas works.
and gallery space on Ocean Drive that
Tribus shared with Palm House’s own- As recently as four years ago, howev-
er, Emily Tremml, and her colleagues, er, there came a point when she said, “I
Suzy Mellot, Madeline Long and Rick can’t do it. I have to do what excites me.”
Kelly, among others.
Tribus metaphorically compares
During that time Tribus was known making art to feeding yourself. Only by
taking an omnivorous interest in the
variety of the world around you, includ-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 41

ARTS & THEATRE

ing the work of other artists, can you them winking) above a Cheshire smile. however, the more you understand that faith, their family and mutual friends,
fully develop and grow your own art. A ’20s-style kiss curl in the triangle’s up- life itself, in particular the 38 years she their love of travel and music, shared
per corner leaves no doubt that there is a enjoyed with her late husband, have meals and trivial pastimes inform all of
Nowadays, Tribus has turned her flirty female face in the crowd. been her great source of inspiration. Janet Kipp Tribus’ paintings. The often-
brush from gently curving country humorous visual comments with which
roads and rustic pleasures to the sharp Tribus says that she starts each Don Tribus died in November of last she spices her piquant chef-d’oeuvres
corners and sensual thrills of the big city painting by drawing directly onto the year. The couple’s shared Christian bespeak a life lived with gusto.
– or at least, the sophisticated suburbs. canvas with her brush.
Tribus recalls that when she be-
Think in general of the abstract “I never know what it’s going to end gan doing abstracts, somebody said,
works of Kandinsky, Klee and Calder, up being. I just start with lines, and “Don’t you want to make salable
and in particular of Mondrian’s late, swooping arm movements. I try to paintings, the ones your collectors are
great “Broadway Boogie-Woogie,” and keep some lines straight, so that my familiar with?”
you will get an idea of who Tribus has curvy lines don’t make you woozy. But
been hanging with lately. I like to do swooping things.” “I said, ‘I have to do what excites me.
It’s like feeding yourself.’”
The supportive artists at Palm When abstract expressionist painter
House encouraged Tribus not only to Tim Sanchez visited Tribus’ studio for Janet Tribus cannot live by bread
create her first abstract paintings, in- the first time, he was drawn to “Peace alone. 
cluding the aptly titled “Leap of Faith,” and Light,” a 30-by-30-inch-square
but also to leave her cozy spot among composition distinguished by the bold THE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY | CELEBRATING
them for a room of her own. Well, that red spiral that lassoes the painting’s
and her unconscious habit of hum- active colors and myriad marks into a MORE THAN EVER
ming while she painted. unified whole.
Proudly celebrating 20 years of
For Tribus, humming while she works “I told Tim that I don’t feel that one American craft and our commitment to
is an automatic function, like breathing. is ‘me’ so much. I did it to try to figure
out what other artists are doing,” says American-made products.
Nothing focuses the attention on a Tribus.
personal tic like working in a shared 2910 CARDINAL DRIVE, VERO BEACH • 772-234-6711 • THELAUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM
art studio. Another painter friend, Hank
“Chips” Feeley, encouraged her foray
“One day someone drew my attention into abstraction by recommending an
to it. I tried to stop it. I couldn’t stop. I re- intensive one-week class at Ox-Bow
alized it was out of my control,” she says. School of Art in Saugatuck, Michigan.
The summer school is affiliated with
On the advice of her husband, Tri- Feeley’s alma mater, the School of the
bus decided to go solo, renting her Art Institute of Chicago.
own studio space.
Says Tribus, “Chips knew I was kind
That was within her power. Not only of dipping into abstraction. He said, ‘I
did it save her relationship with her guarantee this will change your life.’”
Palm House cohort, it encouraged her
to develop her abstract style. She signed up for a summer 2017 class
called Experimental Drawing Studio
“When I got to my new studio, I taught by Gulsah Mursaloglu, a con-
just wanted to build up a new body of temporary artist visiting from Turkey.
work. That was the only thing that was
important. Just to paint, just to enjoy.” “Gulsah encouraged everybody in
the room, mostly young kids. Very
And while her first attempts at ab- young, deciding where they were go-
stract painting were small in size, ing to go in life,” says Tribus.
Tribus soon gained the confidence to
paint much larger. She also developed “I, of course, was the oldest in the
an abstract language that went be- class. Everybody else had green hair
yond the geometric shapes and grids and nose piercings. It was wonderful –
of her art heroes. it was hard work. I don’t know if I ever
want to go through it again, because it
Tribus’ painting “Say Cheese!” is a was really –you put your all into it. It
case in point. The 40-inch-by-60-inch was one intense week.”
oil on canvas has the spirals and an-
gles of a Calder, the ladders of a Miro, In addition to her teacher’s “Go for
and the palette of a Mondrian, as well it!” attitude, Tribus says that her “very
forms unique to Tribus that speak of bright” classmates at Ox-Box were
modern American down time. “way out there.” Their energy rubbed
off on her, made her bolder in her own
“Say Cheese!” is about taking a self- art explorations.
ie, says Janet.
In becoming an abstract artist, Tri-
“I think it has to do with cocktail bus has relied on artist friends and col-
hour, and having wine and pizza.” leagues who continue to inspire her, as
well the art historical icons she reads
Sure enough, some of the triangular about. The more you talk with her,
shapes scattered through the painting
are filled with tangled squiggles that
can be read as cheesy slices, and a bottle
shape hidden within the frenetic com-
position spills a red droplet into a wine
glass at the bottom edge of the picture.

A fan of rectangles floating right of
center in the composition can be read as
a hand of Picassoesque playing cards or,
because of the lens-like circles in their
top corners, a trio of cellphones. The
large triangle that surrounds them also
contains two hieroglyphic eyes (one of

42 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Lighten lagoon’s litter load at ‘Coastal Cleanup’

BY PAM HARBAUGH quick look at the areas where help is
Correspondent still needed. One of those areas might
still be the Vero Tackle Waterway,
1 Round up your boats, paddles which will supply a few kayaks. For
and water wings, because you more information, call 772-226-7738
or visit KeepIndianRiverBeautiful.org.
might want to use them for some fun,

and some good. Volunteers of all ages

are needed for the 35th Annual Inter- 2 The Vero Beach Museum of Art
will present the Art Talk: Fall
national Coastal Cleanup. The event,

sponsored by Keep Indian River Beau- into Art at noon on Wednesday, Oct.

tiful, will be held 9 a.m. to noon this 21. The talk will include the museum’s

Saturday, Oct. 17 at various places education staff and docents who will

from Round Island beach to Sebas- congregate on Zoom and take a look at

tian Inlet State Park, plus extremely select artworks currently on view. The

littered places on the Indian River presentations will last from 45 min-

Lagoon and Estuary. Of course, this utes to one hour. The Art Talks are not

year’s cleanup will be different than recorded, so if you want to take advan-

usual. You can either sign up for this tage of this rare opportunity, no matter

Saturday’s cleanup project or commit where your location, be sure to sign up.

to an alternative date. You’ll receive And if you don’t know how to Zoom,

supplies and goodies like a “neck buff” then learn now via an online tutorial at

or T-shirt. To maintain social distanc- Support.Zoom.us. Look for the words

ing, there will be limits on the number “Video Tutorials” and click on “Show

of people at each location. The orga- All.” That will take you to a page with

nization will also supply gloves and abundant information. Then, you’ll be

hand sanitizer. Some locations have all ready to talk “art.” Other Art Talks

already been “closed” because they scheduled include “Art and Appetite,”

have reached their maximum number noon Nov. 18, which will explore food

of volunteers. However, you can get a as a staple of life and art, with refer-

ence in part to “Tomatomatoes,” a lus- annual juried art exhibition, “Best of
cious 1998 painting by Merritt Island the Best.” The exhibition’s historical
artist Susan Martin. The final Art Talk import goes back to the museum’s
presentation will be “Light and Shad- founder, “Beanie” Backus (1906-1990),
ow,” noon Dec. 16, which will take a an artist and teacher and man who
look at how light and shadow add sub- helped get the group of artists known
stance to art. The Vero Beach Museum as the Highwaymen onto their path
of Art is also offering an Art Apprecia- of fame and success. It is one of the
tion Series, featuring senior curator 60-year-old museum’s most popular
Anke van Wagenberg, in four online events, attracting artists from around
meetings. The first one was held last the state. While museum staffers and
week, but you may still be able to join volunteers were biting their nails over
the other three, which include: “Basics the possibility of canceling this year’s
of Art History,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. show, they were thrilled when it all
Friday, Oct. 16; “Valuing Art,” Oct. 23, became possible after having closed
which considers the monetary value the museum for two months. The ex-
of art and also the intrinsic value; and hibition comprises four categories:
“Form Matters,” Oct. 30, which uses oil/acrylic, watercolor, 3-D art and
works by Alexander Calder to explore varied technique art (collage, pencil,
the impact of line, space, perspective mixed media, etc.). The museum also
and color. The cost for the Art Ap- has an online shop that sells signed
preciation Series is $32 members and giclees and consignment art. Gallery
$40 non-members. There is no cost to hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednes-
attend the Art Talk series, but you do days through Saturdays, and noon to
have to register. For more information, 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $5, with
visit VBMuseum.org. children admitted free. Memberships
begin at $60. Visitors are required to
3 If you have a driving need for a wear masks and socially distance
real, live gallery visit, then get themselves. The A.E. Backus Museum
and Gallery is at 500 N. Indian River
in the car and head south to the A.E. Dr., Fort Pierce. Call 772-465-0630 or
visit BackusMuseum.org. 
Backus Museum and Gallery in Fort

Pierce. The museum has opened its

YES, THIS YEAR’S FLU SHOT IS
‘MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER’

44 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Yes, this year’s flu shot is ‘more important than ever’

BY TOM LLOYD
Staff Writer

Newly arrived – or maybe that’s “Hopefully,” she says, “social dis- Dr. Mary O’Meara. There could be conflicts with the
newly returned – Cleveland Clinic In- tancing and improved hand-washing medications you’re taking, or the
dian River Hospital family medicine will help [fight] the flu this year. We PHOTOS: KAILA JONES supplements may be just plain un-
and primary care physician Dr. Mary want people to be less likely to catch necessary.
O’Meara knows the importance of the flu,” and she adds that always Gua ngdong-Maona n/S W L1536/2019
getting your flu shot this year. wearing a mask in public should help. (H1N1) pdm09-like virus, the A/Hong Whether it’s vitamins or minerals
Kong/2671/2019 (H3N2)-like virus or anything else sold over the coun-
A Vero Beach native, O’Meara O’Meara says “there are a lot of vi- and the B/Washington/02/2019 (B/ ter, says O’Meara, most of the time
says she went to school “at Glendale, ruses this time of year that you can Victoria lineage)-like virus. “you can get that from a healthy diet;
Osceola, Gifford and Vero Beach High pick up. But if you get the influenza eating the right foods.”
School” before heading to the Univer- infection, you can get quite sick. So, The quadrivalent (four-component)
sity of Florida and then on to Florida it’s good to get the flu vaccine just to vaccines, protects against the strains Finally, O’Meara deals with a com-
State for her medical degree. be well-protected and to protect the above plus a second B virus. This sea- mon excuse for not getting a flu shot.
people around you who are immuno- son that’s the B/Phuket/3073/2013-
She is back in Vero now and is compromised.” like (Yamagata lineage) virus. “I get a lot of patients,” she says,
keenly aware that the Journal of the “telling me they have an egg allergy,
American Medical Association just Meanwhile, according to the Cen- If that reads a bit like an alpha-nu- so they shouldn’t get the vaccine. But
announced “as the U.S. heads into ters for Disease Control, this sea- meric bowl of soup, just be aware that the ‘Choosing Wisely’ guidelines do
influenza season with the novel coro- son’s “trivalent” flu shot option pro- it could be worse. recommend patients get the vaccine.
navirus pandemic still raging, public tects against three strains: the A/ Even if you’ve had a severe reaction
health authorities stress that it’s more There are potentially 198 different to eggs, you can have the vaccine, be-
important than ever for people to get influenza A strain subtypes alone and cause it’s such a small amount [of egg
their flu shot.” they change from year to year. in it].”

O’Meara also knows, as the Occu- Worse, all A and B strains of flu mu- In addition, one influenza vaccine,
pational Health and Safety Adminis- tate over time with the newer versions the “Flublok Quadrivalent” shot, is
tration says, “coronavirus’ prevalence constantly replacing older strains. made without any eggs at all and is
in the U.S. this year means you really currently licensed and available for
do not want the flu. A combination of That’s why it’s important to get the the 2020–2021 influenza season.
both viruses – or one after the other – current flu shot each year to ensure
may mean bad news for your health, your body develops immunity to the You don’t want to risk getting two
respiratory health and your overall most recent and prevalent strains cir- potentially fatal respiratory diseas-
ability to recover,” from one or both. culating each year. es – the flu and COVID-19 – this fall
and winter. There is no vaccine yet for
And, she is certainly aware that Dr. Meanwhile, back when COVID-19 COVID-19, but there is for flu and you
Anthony Fauci, the government’s top first started spreading, so-called “im- should get that shot now.
infectious disease specialist, says “it’s mune boosting supplements” and
not acceptable to fail to realize that even IV drips suddenly started being Dr. Mary O’Meara is a family medi-
we are entering into an extreme risk offered and advertised online and on cine and primary care physician with
period and we’ve got to act accord- television, but O’Meara offers a word Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital.
ingly.” of caution before stocking up on any Her office is at 3450 11th Court, suite 201.
of those things. The phone number is 772-794-3364. 
Simply put, the last thing Ameri-
cans need right now is a “twin-dem- “It’s very important to let your pri-
ic” of COVID-19 and the flu this fall mary care doctor or any medical pro-
and winter. fessional that’s treating you know all
the over-the-counter supplements
Still, even as she endorses the flu you’re taking,” O’Meara warns.
vaccine to help prevent disease, the
genial O’Meara shares some optimis-
tic thoughts on today’s situation.

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 45

HEALTH

How neurologist reacted to a dangerously inept diagnosis

BY STEVEN H. HOROWITZ STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 46 underwent urgent spine surgery and
long-term intravenous antibiotics.
The Washington Post Left untreated, these abnormalities
might well have caused a catastrophe:
I love riding bicycles – I’ve been do- I could have become quadriplegic,
ing it for almost all my 78 years. So, unable to move my arms and legs or
while visiting my daughter in Cali- even breathe on my own. My response
fornia in April 2018, I couldn’t refuse to the ED visit cannot be expected of
a friend’s suggestion of a 15-mile bike the average patient, who would have
ride through fields of flowers and cher- been in deep trouble.
ry blossoms (a far cry from the barren
spring of my home state of Maine). He While recovering, I sent multiple
cheated a bit, riding an e-bike, but I letters detailing the specifics of my
kept up on a borrowed pedal bike with
handlebars two inches lower than my
own. This required continued neck
extension during the ride.

Ifelt fineafterward,butwithinhours
I developed neck pain with numbness
and tingling radiating down my arms.
I went to the emergency department
(ED) of an elite medical center two
days later, telling the staff that I was
a neurologist with suspected cervical
(neck) spine disease and possible spi-
nal cord and root compression, a con-
dition in my own specialty. I asked to
have a cervical MRI scan performed,
plus blood studies to detect a possible
spine infection, as I’ve had one before.

The spinal consultant tested my re-
flexes with the side of his hand. When
I asked about his reflex hammer, he
replied that he didn’t have one or need
one – even though this is tantamount
to evaluating the heart or lungs with-
out a stethoscope.

He initially neglected to examine
for the Babinski sign, a classic clini-
cal test, which, if positive, would have
strongly suggested spinal cord com-
pression. When I remarked on this
failure, he performed the procedure
incorrectly. He checked my sensation
with his index finger and did not ex-
amine other sensations, gait, coordi-
nation or hand dexterity.

The MRI showed clear-cut spinal
cord compression due to arthritis,
and a neck mass behind the spinal
canal. It was an abscess – a pus col-
lection – but the hospital’s radiologist
read it as a blood clot. The blood stud-
ies revealed active infection: marked
elevations in inflammatory markers,
plus increased white blood cells of the
“should be concerned” variety. These
obvious and dangerous abnormali-
ties were not pursued, and I was not
informed of them. I spent six hours
in the ED, then was discharged and
told to follow up with a spine surgeon
within two weeks.

Two days later, I traveled home to
Maine and reviewed my medical re-
cords online. I recognized the sever-
ity and complexity of my problem and
went to my hospital, was admitted and

46 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Aaron’s Hearing Care Center STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45 launch were recognized, but then
rationalized, and “normalized” when
As you reconnect with others, trust your hearing deficient care to the hospital’s chief they didn’t cause a disaster – until
to an audiologist with 30+ years of experience executive. The hospital’s representa- they ultimately did.
tives responded, refusing to admit
Aaron Liebman, Au. D. Hopefully, all of you are doing well as we culpability or apologize for these fail- Since the spine consultant did not
Doctor of Audiology take the necessary precautions to reduce ures. The spine service supervisor own a reflex hammer, nor think he
the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus). We even excused the consultant, stating needed this basic tool, nor know how
Why wouldn’t you want to be fit are committed to keeping our patients, any he “conducted the examination to the to do a proper neurological exami-
with your hearing aid from the visitors to our offices and our staff healthy best of his ability.” nation, and he and the ED staff did
only audiologist-owned hearing and safe. not recognize that the elevated in-
aid office in Indian River At all times we’re careful to maintain clean- The lack of recognition of the seri- flammatory markers were indisput-
County? According to Aaron liness in our offices in Vero Beach. We take ous infection went unmentioned in able evidence of serious infection, I
Liebman, Au.D., Doctor of extra steps and follow guidelines to further the representatives’ letters. could not have been the first patient
Audiology, “both Audiologists protect everyone. so poorly evaluated – and, without
and hearing aid salesmen In view of the multiple serious med- doubt, not the last. Further, the con-
are licensed by the state. But, We have instituted a deep cleaning policy ical errors committed during my ED sultant’s supervisor excused his mis-
typically, the salesman has no and our staff disinfects all surfaces that are visit, I offered to present and discuss takes, thereby deeming his deviances
formal education in hearing, touched throughout the day. We’re read- my case to emergency and spine ser- acceptable.
while the audiologist has gone ing up to date recommendations as they vice staff. As a career academic neu-
to college and obtained a degree become available while discussing and im- rologist, I thought a physician analyz- The responses to my letters came
in the field”. plementing best hygiene practices to ensure ing his own medical condition in his from hospital patient service rep-
your safety. own specialty, intending to educate, resentatives, thus this denial and
What this means to you – would be an illuminating and teach- normalization was institutional, in
as a patient – is that Liebman than I thought possible.” able moment for medical staff and support of Vaughan’s premise “that
will not only fit you with “Aaron is a very caring man, students and a healing opportunity individual behavior cannot be un-
a hearing aid, he’ll use patient and works very hard to for me. derstood without taking into ac-
alternative methods of testing do the best for your problems. count the organizational and envi-
for accuracy, so you receive I would highly recommend My offer was ignored. ronmental context of that behavior.”
the proper instrument. He’ll him.” These are just three In 1999, the Institute of Medicine Vaughan mentions that sometimes
provide all-around service and of the glowing testimonials issued its landmark report, “To Err is the normalization of deviance only
counseling so its full potential delivered by local people who Human: Building a Safer Health Sys- becomes evident after whistleblower
will be clear. And, perhaps most are “graduates” of Liebman at tem,” which estimated that as many revelation.
importantly, he’ll consider you Aaron’s Hearing Aid Center. as 98,000 hospital deaths a year were
as an individual…including caused by medical errors. The report I am that whistleblower, “the ca-
the affordability of the product Dr. Liebman moved to Florida made national headlines and gener- nary in the coal mine.”
he’ll be recommending. in 2001. He is originally from ated much subsequent discussion on
This type of kid glove treatment Albany, N.Y. area where both he the causes and effects of medical er- The hospital’s administrator
may have contributed to a and his father were audiologists. rors, and the ethics of transparency tasked with patient communication
finding quoted on the AARP He has found the residents and disclosure. In response, many and resolution, and a widely known
website that states ‘people fitted of Vero Beach and the rest hospitals changed their practices and advocate for these subjects, was un-
for hearing aids by audiologists of Indian River County to be procedures, but two decades later, as aware of my complaints until I found
are 13 times more likely to receptive and loyal once they my experience suggests, even the best her by happenstance 18 months later
be satisfied than people who are exposed to his caring and hospitals and doctors remain resis- (listening to the TED Radio Hour
made their purchase through a concern for them. tant to admitting error, in large part while in my car) and contacted her.
hearing aid salesman’. So, if the concept of having your because they fear malpractice law- She was initially supportive of my re-
hearing aid fitted by someone suits. quest to present my own case for dis-
Dr. Liebman’s satisfied clients who offers more than 30+ Recent research bolsters this view. cussion and analysis, but now, more
have willingly put their praises years of experience, who offers Several years ago, researchers posed than 10 months later, she has yet to
into print. no-fee consultations, who will two hypothetical scenarios involving follow through.
“Everything I needed to know return your phone calls, who medical error – a delayed breast can-
was talked about up front in a will supply free batteries for the cer diagnosis, and a delayed response She wrote to me: “Hospitals don’t
very professional way.” “Aaron life of your hearing instrument, to a patient’s symptoms because of seem to know what to do with the op-
has done more for my hearing and who will provide quarterly uncoordinated care – to 300 primary portunity you present. I don’t think
clean up and adjustments care physicians. More than 70 per- the challenge is unique to [this in-
attractive to you, there’s only cent of the doctors surveyed said they stitution]. A forum for these kinds of
one local audiologist to seek would provide “only a limited or no discussions – constructive, insightful
out: Dr. Aaron Liebman, apology, limited or no explanation, patient feedback does not exist.”
owner of Aarons Hearing Care, and limited or no information about
the ONLY AUDIOLOGIST the cause.” Initially, she told me that since
OWNED hearing aid office in Further, when hospital representa- my SOL is up, I might have a better
Indian River County. tives, rather than physicians, respond chance of making my presentation.
to medical errors by denying, mini- I asked: “What is a SOL?” She said:
For more information call mizing or covering them up, physi- “statute of limitations.” I said: “I don’t
(772) 562-5100 in Vero Beach. cians often conclude that their hos- want to sue; I want to teach.”
pitals have no interest in confronting
these errors head-on. Sure sounds like Of course, if I had been quadriple-
my situation. gic on a respirator I would have sued.
My experience also exemplifies But since I saved my own skin, that
the phenomenon known as “the nor- was not necessary. The aphorism,
malization of deviance” discussed “A physician who treats himself has
by Diane Vaughan in her 1996 book a fool for a patient,” only applies if
on the space shuttle Challenger di- competent care is available.
saster. Vaughan concludes that mul-
tiple problems preceding the shuttle For me, four years of medical school
and five years of postgraduate training
had a uniquely personal advantage.
I’m just sorry that a teachable moment
for the benefit of future patients, and a
healing activity for me, was missed. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 47

Paris Fashion Week: How the city of style faced its new reality

BY LISA ARMSTRONG, BETHAN HOLT, EMILY
CRONIN, CAROLINE LEAPER & MELISSA TWIGG

The Telegraph

As more lockdown measures loomed
in the French capital, the city’s designers
rallied with shows full of optimism ...

Loewe seen from him in years. MT watching from home. wouldn’t want to snuggle their neck
Rather than climbing the walls dur- Creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cy- into the rolled-up collar of a relaxed
ing lockdown, Jonathan Anderson has Chloe sweater or coat? It’s a solution ideally
been dressing them. The designer’s In 2020, pavements and parks have bulski was offering hugs in fashion guise suited to Hermes’ constantly travelling
collection for Spanish house Loewe become our catwalks. With fewer in this collection via the obvious routes clientele. And if they’re grounded for a
was all developed remotely from his proper events to dress up for, a walk – butter soft leather pinafore dresses while, it’ll be just the thing to rest one’s
home in London, prompting him to to the shops or a picnic has become and enveloping cashmere coats – and in
create a ‘Show-on-the-Wall.’ Journal- as exciting as a wedding or birthday more intelligent, nuanced forms; who CONTINUED ON PAGE 48
ists and customers were sent life-size party might have been before.
posters of items in the collection, as I’ll admit, I was confused when I
well as a roll of Anthea Hamilton-de- tuned into Chloe’s spring/summer
signed wallpaper, pastes and brushes. 2021 show. Were the models just mill-
A surprising number of followers ing around nonchalantly on the street
were game for redecorating (those before it began? And who was this
who pledge allegiance to Ander- elderly couple shuffling across the
son’s school of thought do so whole- screen obscuring my view? It was soon
heartedly) and now a scroll through clear this was the show … the joy of
Loewe’s Instagram page shows efforts people watching translated to virtual
by bloggers who papered their down- fashion show format.
stairs bathrooms in a print which had It was a bit like David Attenborough-
been applied in the collection to a suit does-fashion-week; ‘the girls were in
with balloon sleeves and trouser legs. the wild, we couldn’t control what was
Anderson’s art was certainly mul- happening… we just decided to em-
tidisciplinary and the clothes he brace the risk,’ said Chloe’s creative
showed were sculptural. Corset bon- director Natacha Ramsay-Levi.
ing was manipulated to create theat- As for the clothes, they had all the ef-
rical crinolines and dresses featured fortless boho elan for which Chloe is
giant fabric knots, or puffball hems. known. There were updates on the ’70s
He was doing it all, he explained, to re- shapes in which the Chloe look is rooted;
mind people of ‘the art of fashion.’ CL shirts with pointed collars, subtly flared
trousers and long, languid maxi dresses.
Dries Van Noten Just the sort of look you might walk past
In a nod to both the prevalence of in the park and want to emulate. If you
unisex designs and his own desire for a lived near a very stylish park. BH
trimmed-down fashion calendar, Dries
Van Noten showed his men’s and wom- Hermes
en’s collections together for the first You’re the world’s most famous pur-
time, shooting them with Dutch pho- veyor of luxury leather goods, how do
tographer Viviane Sassenon on a wind- you react to a year which has upended
swept, big-sky beach near Rotterdam. how we live entirely? Create the most
It is no surprise that Van Noten, who sumptuous, beautiful clogs the world
has been vocal in calling for changes has ever seen, of course. They came in
to the frenetic fashion schedule, chose shades of chestnut brown, chai latte
not to host a live show, but his aes- and an optic, surgical white, and in-
thetic came through even without the stantly seduced the fashion crowd
pomp and ceremony of a catwalk. The
clothes were carefully considered,
with colors, prints and layers used
boldly in some designs and sparingly
in others: Think a white cotton shirt
worn with loose dark shorts and a daz-
zling gold anorak or a plain black coat
thrown over a scarlet cut-out skirt.
The combination of these low- and
high-energy pieces with the cool sun-
shine of a Dutch beach was strangely
dynamic and resulted in a collection
more youthful than anything we have

48 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47 Giambattista Valli she joined the house almost four years Louis Vuitton
Is Giambattista Valli auditioning for ago. 2020 provided her with good rea- Like the Chanel show, this one was
head against while we wait. Karl Lagerfeld’s old post at Chanel? The son to design her most deconstructed screened live, from the deliriously OTT
The big color news from the show clues were there; from a freshly minted collection to date with calf-length Art Nouveau department store oppo-
interlocking GV logo on accessories, to skirts in soft, pre-washed fabrics and site the LV HQ in Paris. Live invariably
that you could do now: Try pairing sure-seller piped boucle jackets. embroidered or African-inspired wax- entails a few glitches. It was 25 min-
soft baby blue with the palest beige. Typically, Valli is Paris’ authority printed wrap jackets. The latter, which utes late starting and the sharpness of
Those clogs, after all, are bound to on froth – his enormous tulle dresses could be cinched at the waist or worn the images varied depending which
have quite the waiting list. BH capture the attention of the Instagram open, were inspired by the “home” platform you watched it on.
audience, and the custom of the red jacket Christian Dior introduced in On the plus side, it had an immediacy
Kenzo carpet set. But in 2020, there haven’t 1975, based loosely on the kimono. other pre-filmed efforts lacked. Certain
A particularly wholesome form been many galas to go to. It was time, guests could also scroll around to see
of face covering was on display at the designer said, to make it “chic to This was Dior’s famous New Look whom they would have been sitting next
Kenzo – offering protection not from talk about business.” from 1947 reconfigured for now. Filmy to if they’d made it to Paris. As for the col-
a virus, but from bees. With chiffon Good business is what Lagerfeld chiffons, ballet pumps, and white lace lection: Creative director Nicolas Ghes-
material in colorful prints draped off excelled in at Chanel (he created a dresses became prettier and prettier quire had clearly thought hard about the
wide-brimmed hats, the collection legacy at a brand so solid that it flew as the cameras zoomed in but deli- kind of clothes that might resonate now;
brought to mind the sort of bucolic past $11.7 billion in sales in 2019). cate and finely wrought as this was, that meant baggy trousers, often high-
countryside activities we were briefly So why not pursue the same line of none of it looked as though it should waisted, cocoon shaped coats, blouson
obsessed by this summer. thought? For Valli, though, it was the be saved for best. When no one knows jackets, oversized jumpsuits and tank
Flowers – necessary for the bees, of ruffle tiered day dresses and the pret- when that might be, “for best” begins tops, all served up with a crisp, luxurious
course – were a staple, with the show ty, botanical print separates that felt to seem an archaic concept. LA flourish that made this one of his most
set in a Parisian rose garden and flo- like the most natural winners – pieces relevant shows to date LA
rals covering larkspur-colored jump- that his woman can wear on a low key Balenciaga
suits and oversized lilac three-piece holiday, or as a guest in the new era of Balenciaga took its summer ’21 col- Gabriela Hearst
suits. The poppy and Hortensia pat- small weddings. CL lection out for a nighttime stroll in Gabriela Hearst is both dogged
terns of the ’90s were also revived, dot- rain-slicked Paris streets. In a cleverly and creative in pursuit of sustainable
ted across everything from shirts to Dior produced video that felt more MTV luxury. Everything from cardboard
boiler suits, but faded and blurred as Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s Creative than Fashion TV, sunglasses models hangers and compostable plastic to
if they were being looked at through a Director, has been on a mission to stomped intentionally toward the cam- chrome free dyes; from humanely
rainy window. The eponymous Kenzo soften Dior’s totemic Bar jacket since era wearing dramatically oversized farmed leather to supporting main-
died last week, but designer Oliveira coats, shorts layered over tracksuit ly women collectives of artisans in
Baptista keeps the flame burning. MT bottoms, leather jackets and trousers South America is thought through.
treated to resemble denim jackets and The clothes for last Sunday’s show
A Moment’s Notice jeans. There were distressed sweat- came to Paris by train rather than
shirts printed with melting smileys or plane. Don’t expect hair shirts, howev-
HEALTH CARE faded words reading ‘PARIS FASHION er. Her tie-dye recycled cashmere, tas-
WEEK.’ There were fluffy utility san- sel trimmed ponchos and shirt dresses
• Serving Indian River and Surrounding Counties since 1974 dals and high-heeled hotel slippers, painstakingly constructed from old
• 24 Hours A Day / 7 Days Per Week and a new sneaker, the X-Pander. pieces of individually silk trimmed lace
• Private Duty Home Health Agency / Qualified Caregivers Almost everything was oversized, are as desirable as they’re virtuous.
• We Don’t Use Independent Contractors possibly because most pieces were This tiny (by Chanel standards) la-
• Our Rates Are Among the Most Reasonable in Our Area unisex, a new direction that the house bel is an incubator of ideas and prac-
• Our Mission is to Provide an Excellent Level of Independent said would “diminish the environ- tices that are setting the agenda in
mental impact of a gendered produc- luxury and becoming a go-to for wom-
Living for Each Patient in His or Her Own Home tion mode.” In fact the sustainability en who realize that clothes have to
• As the Saying Goes, “There’s No Place Like Home” of the collection was the main thing semaphore more than mere taste. LA
the house emphasized in a statement,
www.amnhc.com License Number HHA20007095 772-978-9092 citing that “93.5% of the plain materi- Givenchy
als in this collection are either certi- Matthew M. Williams, who has just
fied sustainable or upcycled.” EC

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 49

taken over from the British designer cessories into most outfits – plenty watch, of course; we were there for the with neat knee-length skirts. It was all
Clare Waight Keller at Givenchy, is of jet and pearl jewelry and a square clothes. What we saw on the runway about “polarity,” Mrs. Prada said after
typical of a new generation of creative toed, low block heeled sandal that were clothes to suit you at work and at the show.
directors, billed as a creative and an should do the trick with anyone who play. It was full of Miu Miu signatures:
entrepreneur as well as a designer. hankers after a Chanel talisman. LA the beading and paillettes all over Oh, and there were stars on the
Born in Illinois, he began his career shoulders and iridescent slip dresses, catwalk too, with Lila Moss, Kate’s
as a costume designer, producing Dice Kayek the bows, the super-bright but slightly daughter, making her runway debut.
stage outfits for Kanye West and Lady Sometimes a collection is so packed off colors (lemon, tangerine, shocking She opened the show in a boxy, stripe-
Gaga before working on their epony- with prettiness it makes you feel like a pink), the high-heeled sneaker mules. shouldered blazer and closed it in a
mous collections. child in a candy shop. My mouth defi- There were colorblocked blazers and pink paillette-paved halter top with a
nitely watered at Dice Kayek, which zip-up jackets that looked like luxe, tangerine micro-mini skirt, two outfits
Along the way he learned about tai- was filled with buttery yellow brocade retro tracksuit toppers, but shown that encapsulated the having-it-both-
loring: This debut was strong on boxy trouser suits, tangerine-orange pin- ways appeal of this collection. EC 
jackets with cut-aways, drop shoulders afore dresses with ruffles on the hem,
and loose trousers, as well as athlei- and bow-strewn mint-green skirts.
sure. In a Zoom preview, Williams was The Turkish born, Paris-based de-
keen to highlight a reworked slouchy signers and sisters Ece and Ayse Ege
version of the Antigona bag (designed shot the collection in Istanbul and
by Waight Keller’s predecessor, Ric- were inspired by the idea of girls be-
cardo Tisci, now at Burberry) and the ing homeschooled and using their
sole of a croc sneaker that had been imaginations to transform into prin-
injected with 108 shots of air (three is cesses in doll-like clothing. And
around average). Literally walking on while dresses that come with balloon
air. Williams’ appointment is a volte sleeves and Christmas-present-bows
face for a brand that most recently are undoubtedly designed to make us
dressed the Duchess of Sussex. This dream, the majority of the collection
was more Gaga than Meghan. LA is actually very wearable.
Yes, 2020 might not be the year
Chanel for them, but it is difficult to look at
Every Chanel collection has its Mar- clothes like this and do anything oth-
mite moments and that’s as true of er than smile. And really, what could
Karl Lagerfled as it is of his successor be more necessary than that? MT
Virginie Viard. The halter neck stretch
catsuits and the red blouson metallic Miu Miu
front cardigan with matching tweed Trust Miuccia Prada to devise a way
bermudas are surely this season’s to reconstitute the people-watching
contenders. The cropped tops and delight of a fashion show online. For
bare midriffs also split the jury. Miu Miu’s collection video, part of
However, Viard is slowly but surely digital Paris fashion week, the design-
finding her groove with subtly updat- er convened some high-profile fans
ed Chanel classics such as this tweed for a virtual front row. Projected onto
biker jacket and matching skirt in a wall of the show venue were Alexa
pink (pink is turning out to be a key Chung, Karen Elson, Chloe Sevigny,
for spring summer 2021). Wide sail- Elle Fanning and other such starry
or pants, soft raglan sleeve jackets, friends … You had to wonder if there
men’s waistcoats and a drapy tweed, was any jockeying over positioning
sleeveless “pinafore” dress all hit the in this home row, or if everyone was
mark nicely. just happy to be invited to the Zoom
Viard doesn’t seem to relish kitsch party.
as her predecessor did but she sure But we weren’t ‘there’ to people-
leveraged those ker-ching Chanel ac-

50 Vero Beach 32963 / October 15, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

WINE COLUMN

THE U.S. WINE INDUSTRY FACES AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT

BY TIM CARL
The Washington Post

It remains unclear how, exactly, on sequences for precarious businesses. insurers deny winemakers’ fire-related ground, as did several others.
Sept. 27 at 3:48 a.m., a small fire began Even if equipment and vines are claims, the prevalence and high cost of The greatest cost for the Napa and So-
in the hills just northeast of St. Helena, these fires have caused insurance pre-
Calif., a bucolic town in the heart of spared from the flames, the smoke from miums to rise. noma region, however, may be the hu-
Napa County. But driven by high tem- wildfires can be nearly as devastating. man one. California’s wine production
peratures and high winds, flames from If grapes have not been harvested, the Wineries’ ancillary income, too, is af- would be impossible without the thou-
the Glass Fire spread quickly, slipping smoke and soot from even a relatively fected. In the Napa Valley alone, 3.85 sands of workers who cultivate and har-
down toward the valley floor, singeing distant wildfire can adhere to waxy million visitors in 2018 spent $2.23 bil- vest the grapes and then help turn them
vineyards as they made their way to- grape skins, where they can be absorbed lion, according to Visit Napa Valley. into wine. For them, the fires pose addi-
ward Sonoma County. and metabolized into aromatic com- Many, if not most, of those visitors came tional challenges.
pounds that can make a wine taste and during late summer and fall to witness
A few years ago, wildfires were a trage- smell like an ashtray. the harvest. But this period overlaps al- As thousands of homes in the area are
dy for a handful of growers and vintners. most exactly with fire season, which has destroyed, an already constricted hous-
Now, they are an existential threat to the Even the possibility of smoke dam- been keeping tourists away. ing market tightens further. Left with
entire wine industry. age carries costs. Winemakers can re- few options, many workers are forced to
ject grapes from a grower if they detect In this year’s Glass Fire, two of the val- live far outside the area and commute
Almost every aspect of wine produc- smoke taint at harvest time, but with ley’s most popular tourist-destination hours each way – or live in overcrowded
tion is touched by these disasters. Sen- hundreds or thousands of daily samples wineries – the $40 million re-created conditions, which this year has exacer-
sitive multimillion-dollar equipment is to process, the labs that test for this dam- 13th-century Tuscan Castello di Amo- bated the spread of the coronavirus.
destroyed. The normally pristine and age have become overwhelmed. rosa and the iconic Sterling Vineyard
meticulously maintained environs of – suffered significant damage to their Even the many laborers who risk
most wineries are compromised. Bar- A winery could just accept the grapes, outbuildings and equipment. In the working in the hazardous, suffocating
rels that have been aging for years are make the wine, treat it and hope the of- wine storage room at Amorosa, thou- conditions find that evacuations and
incinerated. Power outages make it im- fending taint doesn’t appear later. But sands of bottles exploded, their precious uncertain work schedules eventually
possible for winemakers to keep their if it does, few insurance companies will contents vaporized by the flames. The force them to look for jobs in more sta-
tanks cool enough to avoid ruinous then pay out a claim on wine that might winery at Burgess Cellars burned to the ble environments, which, thanks to the
runaway fermentations. never make it to market. And even as pandemic, can now be hard to find.

The fruit itself is especially vulner-
able. Each vine damaged can take three
to five years to become fully productive
again. Unlike nearly all other agricultur-
al endeavors, winemaking comes down
to a crop that ripens once a year and
then ages for several months or years
before being sold. Losing a single vin-
tage can have disastrous long-term con-