Zudans chosen to lead Vero
into next century. P4
Train critics seek
upgraded safety. P9
Federal government gives
local hospitals low ratings. P10
For breaking news visit
MY VERO Sheriff won’t seek re-election;
Flowers, Rosell quickly in race
BY RAY MCNULTY
Henry Lee Jones in court last week. PHOTO BY KAILA JONES BY RAY MCNULTY what happens, but it’s too soon
No Orchid Publix; Puttick Staff Writer to say what I’m going to do.”
suggests town buy site Judge: New trial of accused killer
of Brian Simpson to start April 8 Deryl Loar will be 53 years It wasn’t too soon, though,
Ken Puttick is exasperated. old when his third and final for Loar to say he might not be
He’s 71 years old, not in BY FEDERICO MARTINEZ gave Jones two options: term as Indian River Coun- done with politics, leaving open
the best of health, and he has Staff Writer “Utilize your current pub- ty’s sheriff expires in January the possibility he would either
grown weary of the aggrava- lic defender,” or “represent 2021 – young enough to pur- run for another elected office
tion that’s accompanied each A request last week by yourself.” sue other opportunities as he – beyond the county level – or
of his four attempts to devel- murder suspect Henry Lee embarks on the next phase of serve as a political appointee.
op the 7-acre parcel of vacant Jones to replace his current Either way, the judge said, his life after leaving the sher-
land he owns a half-mile east public defender was swiftly Jones’ retrial for the killing iff’s office. “I’m certainly not going to
of the Wabasso causeway at shot down by Circuit Court of Brian Simpson during a rule that out,” Loar said. “I al-
the southeast corner of the Judge Daniel Vaughn, who 2011 burglary at the Central “I’ve gotten a few calls about ready have a very good politi-
Town of Orchid. things I’ll consider doing when cal team around me, if that’s
The latest blow was deliv- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 I’m finished here,” Loar said the way I want to go, and I love
ered last week, when, con- Monday, shortly after the sher- state government. But I’m also
fronted by overwhelming op- iff’s office released a statement looking at the private sector,
position from Orchid residents announcing that he would not and there might even be some-
and their neighbors, Publix seek re-election to a fourth thing else in law enforcement.
announced it was cancelling term.
its contract to buy Puttick’s “Anything I do would have
property and abandoning its “I’m not going to retire at 53 to wait 19 months,” he added.
plan to build a supermarket- and go sit on the couch,” he “I’m not leaving early.”
anchored shopping center in added. “Financially, I should
the town. be fine, but I have to do some- Loar, 51, has spent the past 30
“I have a lot of money tied up thing. There are opportunities years in law enforcement, put-
in this property, and I still want out there, and I’ve got to see ting in 20 years with the Florida
to do something with it,” Put- which one fits best. Highway Patrol before winning
tick, a longtime Vero Beach- the sheriff’s race here in 2008.
“It’s going to be exciting to see
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In his statement, Loar said
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Utility wars redux: Shores and Vero With new No. 2, Cleveland Clinic to focus on efficiencies
now at odds over reuse water rates
BY MICHELLE GENZ executive director for pa-
BY LISA ZAHNER at odds once again over util- Staff Writer New chief operating officer Ralph D. Turner tient support services, ar-
Staff Writer ity rates. rives in Vero next week.
Cleveland Clinic Indian
There was a sweet, fleet- This time, the dispute in- River has a new chief op- That’s just in time to begin
ing peace over the holidays volves reuse irrigation water, erating officer, after a year work on what system-wide
between Vero Beach and In- and differing interpretations of and a half during which CEO Dr. Tom Mihaljevik an-
dian River Shores after Flor- a contract signed seven years that position was vacant at nounced last week is a new
ida Power & Light closed on ago. The discrepancy between the Vero hospital. Ralph D. focus on operational effi-
the sale of Vero electric, but the rate Vero is charging, and Turner, who for the last two ciencies, particularly at the
now the Shores and Vero are the rate Indian River Shores years was Cleveland Clinic’s healthcare company’s re-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
March 7, 2019 Volume 12, Issue 10 Newsstand Price $1.00 Donors ‘Pony Up’
for Special
News 1-10 Faith 73 Pets 72 TO ADVERTISE CALL Equestrians. P12
Arts 31-38 Games 51-53 Real Estate 75-88 772-559-4187
Books 48-49 Health 55-61 St. Ed’s 50
Dining 66 Insight 39-54 Style 62-65 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 46 People 11-30 Wine 67 CALL 772-226-7925
© 2019 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.
2 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
NEWS
Accused Simpson killer Jones was found guilty of first-de- In March 2018, Jones became dis- Cox noted in her judgment on Dec.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 gree murder in 2014 and received a life satisfied with the lawyers represent- 20 that although it was Jones’ decision
sentence. According to testimony at ing him in his retrial and requested a to represent himself, it was clear that
Beach resident’s home will begin April 8. his trial, Jones shot Simpson after he different attorney. After Circuit Court he didn’t know what he was doing in
Vaughn issued his decision during a and an associate got caught inside the Judge Cynthia Cox turned down his court. She stated that his actions were
Simpson family’s Fiddlewood Road request, Jones decided to represent so detrimental to his own case that the
brief hearing on Feb. 28, and did not house. himself. His attempt did not go well, court would be denying him a fair trial
wait for a response from Jones, who and in December he was back in court by allowing him to continue serving as
was hustled out of the courtroom and But Jones, now 30, was granted a asking for legal assistance. his own counsel.
back to the county jail. second trial in 2017 after the fourth
District Court of Appeals overturned Judge Cox agreed to appoint a new In his latest request for new coun-
Jones, who was convicted of a 2011 his conviction. Justices argued that public defender to represent Jones cil, Jones told Vaughn that he wanted
murder on the island but then had a new trial was warranted because and approved his request that all mo- his current public defender, Dorothy
his conviction overturned on appeal, Jones’ public defender was not allowed tions filed by him, and all evidence Naumann, dismissed because she had
has a history of requesting and then to question potential jurors about ra- submitted by him since he began refused to file motions and subpoenas
dismissing his court-appointed attor- cial prejudice or bias. Jones is African- representing himself, be wiped from that he wanted filed. He declined to
neys. American. Simpson, 41, was white. court records. give Vaughn any specific details.
“I don’t want to go into the evidence,
or people that I want to subpoena at
this time,” Jones told Vaughn. “There
has been a lack of communication. We
have disagreed on trial strategy and
tactics your honor.”
Naumann told Vaughn that there
were some motions and subpoenas
that she didn’t file on behalf of Jones
because, in her legal opinion, they had
nothing to do with his case and lacked
merit.
My Vero
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
area businessman, said last weekend
as he again mulled his options, which
seem to be dwindling. “I’m not look-
ing to leave it to my kids. That’s not
why I bought it.
“But I’ve been trying for more than
12 years, and I’m getting tired of bang-
ing my head against a wall. If the town
won’t let me do anything with the
land, then maybe they should buy it.”
Puttick has proposed four projects
– one residential, one commercial and
two that best could be described as a
combination of both – since purchas-
ing the land for $3.5 million in May
2006. Each time, his plan has gone
down in flames.
Puttick has grown so weary of be-
ing turned away, in fact, that he might
not try again, even though he said he
was exploring other potential propos-
als for the property – which is Orchid’s
last remaining parcel zoned for com-
mercial development.
He now questions whether the re-
strictions in the town’s building code
are too prohibitive to allow any com-
mercial venture to be financially vi-
able on that parcel, especially after
absorbing the costs of purchasing the
property, construction and the instal-
lation of the necessary infrastructure
and landscaping.
“Any commercial venture is going
to require at least some variances or
waivers,” Puttick said. “No business
can survive with how the code is writ-
ten.”
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 3
NEWS
He believes that’s exactly what Or- tick said he would not “go back at the northern half of the property and problem. Then, when I went through
chid wants, and he’s seriously consid- them” and sue the town for killing his use the southern half for commercial the approval process, they turned me
ering taking the town to court to chal- previous proposals, which were reject- development – a proposal he claims down. I was mystified.”
lenge its code under the “Bert Harris ed because the zoning didn’t allow for was in accordance with the mixed-
Private Property Rights Protection residential development. use plan town residents favored when Puttick tried again in 2011, propos-
Act,” passed by the Florida Legislature Windsor owned the land. ing a development of 40 two-story,
in 1995. “I’ll put that in writing and sign it,” courtyard townhomes with two-car
he said. “This has gone on too long.” “I didn’t request a zoning change be- garages, but the town refused his re-
The law states that property owners fore I bought it, because my plan was quest to rezone the property from
may seek relief from the courts if they It was in 2007 that Puttick made an exact duplicate of Windsor’s plan,” commercial to residential.
can prove a governmental entity has his first pitch to the town, submit- he said. “I didn’t think there’d be any
directly and unreasonably restricted ting a plan to build golf cottages on CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
– and placed an unfair burden on – a
property’s use, thus preventing the Exclusively John’s Island
owner from “obtaining the reason-
able, investment-backed expectation” This meticulously renovated 3BR/3.5BA masterpiece overlooks serene Lake
from the property. LaRoche views. The 3,643± GSF home indulges in natural light from the gourmet
kitchen with island seating, beautifully crafted master bedroom with walk-in
In this case: Puttick, who lives in the closet, and voluminous living area with fireplace. Enjoy an expansive loggia,
town, could claim that the restrictions manicured hardscape, sparkling pool, American oak floors, custom millwork,
in Orchid’s code are so unreasonably and impact windows and garage door. Sited on .70± acres with an option for
prohibitive that they have unfairly an additional cabana, the home is poised to take advantage of every angle.
prevented him from using the proper- 40 Dove Plum Road : $3,250,000
ty in a way that allows him to get any
reasonable return on his investment. three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
health & wellness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equit y memberships
But he’d rather not sue.
“It’s a possibility – and I may ulti- 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
mately decide that the town has left me
no other option – but I’d rather not go
to court,” Puttick said. “I’ve lived in Vero
Beach for over 30 years and I’ve done a
lot of business here, but I haven’t sued
many people. I don’t like controversy,
and I try to avoid it when I can.
“So suing the town would be a last
resort,” he added. “I don’t want to do
it. I’d rather find a way to work things
out. But if that’s not going to happen, I
have to do something.
“I can’t walk away and do nothing.”
Puttick said he has more than $6
million invested in the property, an
amount that includes the purchase
price; the costs of engineers, archi-
tects and attorneys; and money paid
in interest, taxes and for insurance.
He said the property has been ap-
praised at $7.5 million, but, if Orchid
wants to buy it, he’d sell it to the town
for a “reasonable” price.
“The land is worth a lot more than
it was when I bought it, but they could
take me out of this, easily, using tax-
free municipal bonds,” Puttick said.
“Or they could put 50 percent down
and finance the rest. I’ll even be the
bank and give them a fair rate.
“I’m trying to be reasonable.”
Thus far, he said, the town has
shown no interest in buying the land.
And, really, there’s currently little in-
centive for Orchid to spend the mil-
lions of dollars for the property.
But Puttick remains hopeful he and
the town can reach a compromise that
will keep them out of court.
“It’s pretty obvious they don’t want
commercial development there,” he
said, “so why not change the zoning to
residential and let me develop it into
something nice – like I wanted to do
before?”
If Orchid officials were willing to
make such an accommodation, Put-
4 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
NEWS
My Vero sion, but they did it in a legal manner,” ducted a digital survey that revealed Nor does Puttick.
Puttick said. “I still don’t know how 87 percent of the town’s homeowners He said he plans to call Orchid May-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 they could say an assisted living facil- were opposed to the company’s plan. or Harold Ofstie in the next few days to
ity isn’t a commercial venture.” discuss the future of the property and
“They told me they wanted com- It didn’t matter than Publix pos- seek guidance as to what type of devel-
mercial development on that prop- Last year, Publix signed a contract to sessed the financial wherewithal to opment the town would find palatable.
erty,” he said. buy Puttick’s parcel – a purchase contin- cover the start-up costs and was willing “I’m going to ask him: What do you
gent on the company getting the town’s to tweak its plans to please the town. want me to do with it now?” Puttick
So, four years later, Puttick returned approval to build a 31,000-square-foot said. “I want to know what the town
with a proposal to build an upscale, 120- supermarket and 6,000-square-foot, There was no way the town coun- will accept, or if the town wants to buy
bed, assisted-living facility that would five-store retail building. cil, after seeing the survey’s results, the property from me.”
employ 60 people. He argued the plan would’ve granted the requested waiv- Jason Keen, chief operating officer
met the town’s requirements for com- This time, Puttick stayed out of the ers to the code, which restricts the of the Village Beach Market, has pub-
mercial zoning, which includes a “Medi- process. size, height and roofing of commer- licly expressed interest in buying the
cal Services” category, and Orchid’s Local cial buildings; the size of commercial parcel and putting a store there. How-
Planning Agency voted 4-1 to approve it. “I had three shots at it and came signage; and the hours and days busi- ever, Puttick said there has been no
away with nothing,” he said. “I didn’t nesses may operate. Publix needed the communication between the parties
However, the town manager told want to mess up this one.” waivers to proceed with the project. since his realtor contacted Keen two
Puttick the code didn’t specifically list weeks ago.
adult assisted-living facilities as a per- The proposal, though, never had “Publix bent over backward to try to “I don’t have anything set in stone
mitted – or even conditional – use in a chance: Shortly after Publix repre- make it work here – to make it viable with anyone right now,” Puttick said,
the commercial zoning district, and sentatives made their initial presen- for them and acceptable to the town,” “but I’m open to anything that’s real-
the town council rejected his propos- tation to the town council last spring, Puttick said. “They would’ve been a istic.”
al, ruling that such a facility was pri- residents in neighboring communities good neighbor. What’s realistic?
marily residential. began expressing fierce opposition. “That,” he said,“is a good question.”
“But once that survey came out, I
Puttick sued and lost. Then, after Publix representatives knew Publix would pull the plug,” he
“The town made the wrong deci- made an updated presentation to Or- added. “They saw the opposition, and
chid residents in January, the Orchid they didn’t want to be the bad guy.”
Island Community Association con-
Val Zudans chosen to lead Vero into next century as mayor
BY LISA ZAHNER Mayor Val Zudans (right) and Vice Mayor Tony Young at City Council organizational meeting. PHOTO BY KAILA JONES office, and said he looks forward to
Staff Writer the next council election eight months
her support, and said he would do his 2017, Zudans has shaken up the Vero from now after which he’ll be able to
Those who expected the Vero Beach best to honor the trust his colleagues establishment – at times appearing fully reclaim his life as a private citizen.
City Council to go with a sentimental had placed in him as mayor. politically tone deaf and blind to the
choice for mayor on Monday – choos- fact that Vero harbors a significant Selection of the mayor and vice
ing Tony Young to lead the city 100 Vero’s mayoral seat is largely cer- number of sacred cows. mayor on Monday took place against
years after his grandfather became emonial, but there is some power the lingering backdrop of some bad
Vero’s first mayor – were a bit shell- to control the tone and flow of City His election as mayor raises the blood among council members over
shocked when Val Zudans was over- Council meetings. question of whether the position will a deal to sell the old Dodgertown golf
whelmingly elected mayor for the next temper his approach somewhat. Will course property to Indian River Coun-
eight months. The choice of mayor also matters be- he be less likely to take on relatively ty at a loss.
cause, typically, the mayoral pick signals radioactive issues without regard for
NEWS ANALYSIS the general direction the council intends the political climate or the fallout now Young voted against selling to the
to take. Young would have been a vote to that he leads the council? county, and then was seen as using his
Harry Howle nominated Zudans, honor Vero’s rich history and heritage. position as the swing vote to enter into
saying he’d given the matter a great Zudans represents more of a question Howle said after Monday’s meeting 11th-hour negotiations with the coun-
deal of consideration. Laura Moss mark, as he’s thrown a lot of ideas against that he and his wife Heather are both ty. Zudans and Moss openly lashed out
nominated new council member Rob- the proverbial wall to see which ones ecstatic over him not being mayor any- at Young, saying he had undermined
bie Brackett, but Brackett politely de- stick during his time on the council. more. He immediately cleaned out his the city’s negotiating power, and had
clined, citing his need to learn how to belongings and vacated the mayor’s circumvented months of efforts by City
be a councilman first. Since being elected in November Manager Jim O’Connor, city staff and
Howle to get more money for the city.
Prompted by shouts from the public
in the gallery, “Tony, nominate your- Getting passed over for mayor on
self,” Young reluctantly and uncharac- Monday could be viewed as a slap on
teristically finally nominated himself. the wrist by Young’s colleagues.
But when it came down to a decision,
Zudans got four of the five votes, giv- Howle said nominating Zudans for
ing him the mayor’s middle seat and mayor was more of a business deci-
the gavel. sion than a political one.
Laura Moss thought she should be “I was thinking that we need to keep
awarded the ceremonial vice mayor ti- these meetings going as quickly and as
tle because of her public involvement efficiently as possible and I think Val is
and appearances at public and social the best person to facilitate that need,”
events in the city, but Young was then Howle said. “We have to facilitate
unanimously chosen as vice mayor meetings that have to do with the ad-
and will lead council meetings in the ministrative actions of government. “
event Zudans is absent.
In other words, Howle chose Zudans
Zudans thanked his wife Tracey for as the best person to get things done.
What Zudans prioritizes, and how he
reacts to and manages dissent from
the public and discord on the council,
will be the test of his mettle.
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 5
NEWS
Zudans is not known to be naturally Howle said he likes Young person- vested in protecting the interests of mayor again will be chosen, Howle
diplomatic. Up to now, he’s routinely ally and thinks Young will do a tre- the city.” pointed out that there’s still time for
lobbed political grenades from the mendous job as vice mayor while Young to be picked as mayor during
wings, leaving Howle to get everybody simultaneously heading up running Since last Tuesday’s special election the centennial calendar year to honor
settled back down and working to- the city’s centennial. “Tony’s been a means abbreviated eight-month terms the Young family’s deep commitment
gether again. man of the people and he’s very in- until the next organizational meeting to Vero Beach and its heritage.
in November, where a mayor and vice
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NEWS
Sheriff won’t seek re-election “smart young man who has been as his major concern about Loar’s ad- three decades, and I’ve been on call
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 with me every day, making serious ministration. since I made corporal with the High-
decisions” – someone who has been way Patrol in 1992,” Loar said. “That’s
he was “especially proud to have suc- preparing for the job for more than Except for a year and a half of active a long time to be answering phone
cessfully led this agency through one five years. duty military service, the 59-year-old calls at all hours of the day and night.
of the worst economic downturns Rosell has devoted all of his adult
in decades” and to oversee a wave of He said he will “push hard” and life to professional law enforcement. “Sometimes, I can’t believe it’s
“innovative advancements” in crimi- actively campaign for Flowers, who He retired from the New Jersey State been 30 years, but this is the right
nal justice, including the creation of could face as many as four challeng- Police at the rank of captain with 27 time for me,” he added.
mental health court and addition of a ers. years of service and held top posi-
Homeland Security Section. tions in two other municipalities be- “My youngest will graduate from
“It’s a huge uphill battle,” Flowers fore being hired on by Indian River high school next year, and I’ve
He also cited state accredita- said, adding that he welcomes Loar’s Shores in March 2015. worked my tail off, especially as sher-
tion and professional recognition support. “I’m honored and humbled iff. My first eight years, I didn’t really
earned by different aspects of the to get his endorsement. He has been A graduate of the FBI National take a vacation.
agency. a great friend and mentor the past Academy in 2004, Rosell’s experience
few years. in disaster planning and response “I’m also leaving on a high note,
“There are only 67 sheriff’s offices includes hurricanes Sandy (in New which isn’t easy in a world where
in the state, and I’d put our group in “In 2012, I told Sheriff Loar that I Jersey), plus Matthew, Irma and lead- people are so anxious to see some-
the top 10 percent in terms of quali- wanted to replace him when he was ing a 140-member task force to New body fail and point fingers.”
fications and track record,” Loar said. ready to step down, and I’m blessed Orleans to assist after Hurricane Ka-
“I feel like a coach who has developed that he was willing to take me in and trina. The untimely deaths of two depu-
a heck of a team of young people, and train me,” he continued. “This is an ties – Garry Chambliss was shot while
we’ve got talented people in different agency with 500 employees and a $52 “The training background I have in off duty and Capt. Ryan Haffield suf-
positions. million budget, so it’s a big operation, both the police service and the mili- fered a heart attack – in 2017 also
a daunting task. But he got me ready tary has always allowed me to identi- took a toll.
“I’ve also groomed several of them for it.” fy the best practices available, imple-
to be ready to lead.” ment them where I see the need and So did what Loar called the “politi-
One candidate to succeed Loar, make every place I’ve been better,” cal climate,” which he expects to “get
Heading that group is Maj. Eric however, had less flattering words for Rosell said. nasty,” especially in the 2020 sheriff’s
Flowers, who, with Loar’s enthusias- the sheriff’s operation as he threw his race.
tic endorsement, announced Mon- own hat into the ring Monday. Some members of Loar’s command
day he was running to succeed his staff were surprised Monday morn- “You have to be a candidate to un-
boss as sheriff. Indian River Shores Public Safety ing when the sheriff informed them derstand what it’s like and what it
Chief Rich Rosell, in declaring his he would not seek re-election. does to your family,” Loar said. “It’s
Loar described Flowers, 39, as a candidacy, cited “weak, inexperi- not pleasant.”
enced management at the top levels” “I’ve been in law enforcement for
Staff Writer Lisa Zahner contributed
to this story.
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 7
NEWS
Utility wars redux the savings immediately, especially in Shores officials assumed the rate Vero agreement was signed, and that’s the
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 terms of “reuse” water for irrigation. charged them for reuse water would be rate Vero gave to the Shores and to
This gray, partially-treated water is dropping dramatically, in accordance Vero utility customers who live out-
says its residents should be paying is a waste product, clean enough so it’s with the franchise agreement. On Jan. side city limits on the southern end of
more than a quarter million dollars safe for watering landscaping or a golf 11, then-town manager Robbie Stabe the island. The contract did not make
annually. course but not something you’d drink wrote a letter to then Vero City Man- a distinction between a rate for pres-
or take a shower in. ager Jim O’Connor to firm up that as- surized water and non-pressurized
In 2012, tens of millions of dollars in sumption, and to get confirmation water.
Indian River Shores’ water and sewer Vero had been charging the Shores back from the city. He cited the rate
utility business was up for grabs. The hefty rates to pump its reuse water clause from the 2012 franchise agree- Vero wants to try to fix this by com-
town was on the verge of terminating into the town and the county’s rates at ment and attached a schedule of the ing up with a hypothetical pressurized
Vero’s utility franchise and contract- the time of the agreement were signifi- new county rates for reference. county rate, which the county would
ing with Indian River County Utili- cantly lower. have to adopt – despite the fact that
ties for service, but some last-minute O’Connor responded by saying that they have no pressurized service.
horse trading ensued and Vero of- This sweet deal on reuse water was was not the way the city reads the
fered to give the Shores the same ex- the deciding factor that led the Shores contract. New Shores town manager “Since the county never established
act rates they’d be charged by Indian to stay with Vero instead of switching Joe Griffin met with Vero Water-Sewer a rate for the other ‘rate classifications,’
River County. to Indian River County as its provider. Director Rob Bolton and Interim City the city is in the process of hiring their
Now, however, as of March 1, Indian Manager Monte Falls last week, but rate consultant to do so,” said Bolton.
The Shores Town Council, in good River Shores is paying a different, even after that meeting, defended the
faith, executed a new 15-year franchise much higher rate than Indian River city’s position. Shores Vice Mayor Bob Auwaerter
agreement with Vero with the certainty County reuse customers and Vero says said Vero’s argument is pretty ridicu-
that residents’ rates would be directly it’s justified. Bolton said the rates are not going lous, and so is the plan to create a hy-
tied to county rates for the term of the down for Shores customers due to a pothetical rate. He added that Bolton’s
contract. The provision was added to Back in December, the county took technicality. “The county’s new re- response is typical of how the City of
page 3, section 6 of the May 1, 2012 a look at its various utility consump- use rate is for ‘Non-Pressurized’ cus- Vero Beach frames issues to meet its
franchise agreement, and it seemed tion charges to make sure they were tomers with ‘interruptible service,’” own agenda of padding the city’s gen-
pretty simple. If Indian River County in line with the cost of delivering the Bolton said. eral fund with utility revenues.
Utilities rates went up, or down, the commodity and, based on staff’s rec-
rates the Shores would be charged by ommendation, the County Commis- By contrast, Vero delivers pressurized “We’re not taking this lying down,
Vero would go up or down as well. sion voted to reduce the unit price of reuse water to the Shores and guaran- our town manager is on this,” he said
reuse water from 67 cents per 1,000 tees a steady flow and certain volume. on Saturday, adding that the county
Shores residents, condominiums gallons to 21 cents per 1,000 gallons, only has one rate, and that’s the rate
and community organizations saw effective March 1. The rub is that Indian River County the parties used, in good faith, in ne-
only had one rate, the non-pressur- gotiating terms. Auwaerter said Indi-
Aware of the impending change, ized rate, in 2012 when the franchise
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
8 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
NEWS
Utility wars redux Cleveland brings in new No. 2 The prior year, virtual visits grew by seized, there were knives, box cutters,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 183 percent. Overall Cleveland Clinic cans of mace and tools, prompting Mi-
cared for 2 million patients last year. haljevic to mandate metal detectors at
an River Shores will not allow Vero to cently acquired Florida hospitals and all emergency room entrances as well
ignore or violate the provisions in the other expansion projects. Mihaljevic also discussed the first as panic buttons on the name badges
franchise agreement. step toward a systemwide $15 mini- of caregivers in certain hospitals.
Mihaljevik’s announcement was mum wage, a goal announced last
According to records Bolton pro- part of his annual State of the Clinic year. That interim step, a raise to $14 Here in Indian River County, COO
vided to Vero Beach 32963, Vero’s address, which revealed the health in January, did not apply to the newly Turner will take over a position last
annual sales of reuse water to Shores system’s operating income fell last minted Florida employees because of a held by Camie Patterson, who left for
customers amounts to $396,000 at the year by 19 percent. Operating income clause in the takeover agreements that a Bradenton hospital in August 2017,
current 67-cent rate. If charged the is equivalent to operating profit, the pay and benefits for those employees just 13 months after joining what was
21-cent rate for that same amount of amount that remains after a company would stay the same for one year. then Indian River Medical Center.
reuse water, Shores customers would pays its operating expenses.
only pay about $194,000. That means Speaking to caregivers gathered in Turner grew up in Valdosta, Georgia,
Vero would receive $272,000 less rev- Mihaljevik said increasing costs of the ballroom of the Cleveland campus’ and graduated from Troy University in
enue annually. care and decreasing reimbursements Intercontinental Hotel last Wednesday, Alabama. He went to the University of
were to blame for the decline. To study Mihaljevic declared the health system Maryland for his undergraduate and
Vero’s water-sewer franchise with those factors, he announced the for- “a beacon of hope for millions.” graduate degrees, focusing on busi-
Indian River Shores will expire on mation of the Center for the Study ness, healthcare and public adminis-
Oct. 1, 2027, and the town must give of Healthcare Delivery at Cleveland “The world looks to us for innova- tration.
Vero at least four years’ notice if it Clinic. Mayo Clinic launched a similar tive solutions to the greatest challeng-
wants to switch to the county as a initiative in 2011. es in healthcare,” he said. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army’s
provider. Health Services Command, including a
Last year’s numbers remain stagger- Among those innovations is a “speak stint in Seoul, South Korea. At the time
Timing is key on this issue since ing even with the decline: Operating up award” he instituted to encourage of his retirement, he was a Chief War-
the city is in the planning stages of income was $266 million on revenues caregivers to alert management about rant Officer Four and a director in the
constructing a new wastewater treat- of nearly $9 billion, which reflected a 6 patient safety issues. “Silence is the clinical engineering department of Wal-
ment plant at the Vero Beach Region- percent increase in revenue compared enemy of safety,” he declared. “Cleve- ter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda.
al Airport, which would allow the city to 2017. land Clinic supports a culture where
to move its old sewer plant off the every caregiver can speak up, without After the army, Turner was vice-
river. Equally impressive is Mihaljevic’s fear, on matters of patient safety.” president of MedStar Washington
5-year goal of doubling the number of Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.,
In figuring the capacity of that new patients the system serves. A sizable He also pointed out the need for for four years before going on to spend
plant, unless notified otherwise, Vero portion of that growth is expected to more security measures after the sys- five years with the health system of the
would plan for a volume of water that come from telehealth, which last year tem confiscated more than 30,000 University of Wisconsin, UW Health,
would accommodate the Shores. grew 67 percent at the health system. items considered weapons from visi- as vice president of facilities and sup-
tors and patients at its northeast Ohio port services.
hospitals. While only 17 guns were
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 9
NEWS
He recently earned a doctorate in said Dr. Greg Rosencrance, president The COO position as described in a hospital merges into the Cleveland
business administration from the Uni- Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospi- Cleveland Clinic job posting involves system; and overseeing any capital
versity of Wisconsin-Whitewater. tal, in a statement. “I’m excited that he working with Rosencrance to develop projects and expansion plans. Cleve-
will be joining our leadership team, as strategic and operation goals; seeing land Clinic has committed to $250
“Ralph Turner brings 32 years of his extensive knowledge of operations to it that budgetary goals are realized; million in such projects in Indian Riv-
healthcare experience and a proven will serve us well.” aiding in physician integration as the er County over the next decade.
track record for successful operations,”
Train critics seek upgraded safety measures for Virgin Trains USA
BY GEORGE ANDREASSI 110 mph between West Palm Beach “However, there is a gap in regula- is working with diagnostic teams to
and Orlando, well below the 125 mph tions for some aspects of safety and require a sealed corridor in Florida in
Staff Writer limit at which federal regulations pro- operations between 81 mph and 125 an area of higher-speed train opera-
hibit at-grade railroad crossings. mph,” the OPPAGA report says. “FDOT tions,” the report says.
A new railroad watchdog group
wants Gov. Ron DeSantis to require
Virgin Trains USA to pay for extra safe-
ty measures if the high-speed passen-
ger rail service eventually zips through
the Treasure Coast as planned.
The Florida Alliance for Safe Trains is
calling upon DeSantis to ratchet up the
Florida Department of Transportation’s
scrutiny of the Virgin Trains project and
require stronger safety protections.
Installing security fencing the length
of the train tracks to protect against
trespassers was among the initiatives
FAST promoted during a news confer-
ence on Feb. 26 at the Vero Beach Heri-
tage Center.
Additional safety measures are also
needed to prevent mishaps at hun-
dreds of at-grade railroad crossings
throughout the state, several FAST
members said.
There are 32 at-grade railroad cross-
ings on Virgin Trains tracks in Indian
River County and 21 in St. Lucie County.
Potential safety initiatives for Vir-
gin Trains operations were among the
recommendations in an Oct. 31, 2018
report about the Florida Passenger
Rail System by the state Office of Pro-
gram Policy Analysis and Government
Accountability.
Sen. Debbie Mayfield (R-Vero Beach)
said she will ask DeSantis, FDOT and
new legislative leaders to consider re-
quiring Virgin Trains to institute the
safety initiatives outlined in the OP-
PAGA report.
“I think with the new administra-
tion that we have and the new FDOT
secretary that has been appointed that
we’re going to start seeing some of the
discussion continue,” Mayfield said.
The DeSantis Administration and
FDOT did not respond to requests for
comment by deadline. Neither did a
Virgin Trains spokeswoman.
Federal railroad laws allow states
to have more stringent regulations to
deal with local safety or security haz-
ards, the OPPAGA report says.
For example, several states require
fencing along railroad right-of-ways
to prevent trespassing, but Florida
does not, the report says. Virgin Trains
is expected to reach speeds of up to
10 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
NEWS
Federal government gives area hospitals relatively low ratings
BY MICHELLE GENZ owned by Steward Health Care, were sions, timeliness of care and efficient The same is true to an extent for Se-
Staff Writer unable to raise their rating. Both got use of medical imaging. bastian River Medical Center. It was ac-
two out of five stars, same as when quired by Steward in February 2017 but
After months of delay as it tried to get they were rated in December 2017. The hospital’s mortality rate was the some of the data used to come up with
its methodology right, the Centers for same as the national average. Safety the latest star ranking reflects perfor-
Medicaid and Medicare Services has Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and effectiveness of care were above mance before Steward took the helm.
updated its star ratings for U. S. hospi- and Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, average.
tals – and for Indian River, Martin and which consists of three hospitals in Mortality and readmission data used
St. Lucie counties, the news is not good. Stuart and Tradition, both dropped to It is important to note that, while to derive the new star ratings date back
one star from two. their names now reflect the change to 2014 and run through June 2017.
Despite ongoing efforts, Cleveland of management, the Cleveland Clinic Most other data, including data on
Clinic Indian River and Sebastian Indian River scored below the na- hospitals’ CMS scores reflect perfor- infections, patient experience, timeli-
River Medical Center, the latter now tional average in four of seven broad mance data collected long before the ness of care, and effectiveness of care,
areas: patient experience, readmis- Cleveland takeover. was collected from April 2017 to March
2018. Effective use of medical imaging
data came from July 2016 to June 2017.
That means much of the information
used to rate Sebastian River Medical
Center predates its new electronic health
records system installed in fall 2017.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Clinic Weston
dropped to a one-star overall rating –
though it earned three stars in patient
satisfaction. Cleveland Clinic Weston’s
competitor Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville
earned four stars.
For those wanting to compare trau-
ma centers, Holmes Regional Medi-
cal Center in Melbourne earned three
stars compared to the one star earned
by Lawnwood Regional Medical Cen-
ter in Fort Pierce.
In the Orlando area, Orlando Re-
gional Medical Center – the flagship
hospital of Orlando Health, which
pursued partnership with Indian River
– earned four stars overall.
CMS has been embroiled in contro-
versy regarding its star ratings. It was
asked to stop them altogether by the
American Hospital Association, which
called them “flawed from the outset.”
Bruce Siegel, CEO of America’s Es-
sential Hospitals, another hospital as-
sociation, said in a statement, “Those
flaws contribute to ratings that mis-
lead consumers and disadvantage
hospitals that care for vulnerable pa-
tients, rather than reflect true hospital
performance and improvement.”
CMS has responded to criticism by
changing its methodology multiple
times since the ratings began in 2005.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Clinic
has said the CMS ratings don’t consid-
er the severity of a hospital’s patients’
conditions, saying Cleveland hospitals
often treat the “sickest of the sick,”
which helps account for some poorly
rated outcomes.
Similarly, so-called “safety net” hos-
pitals – those hospitals that must treat
patients whether than can pay or not –
tend to take care of sicker populations
and thus have more challenges in areas
of complications and readmissions.
In all, some 4,000 hospitals were giv-
en star ratings by CMS.
Kylie Sheehan and
Tiffany Busch.
MANE EVENT: DONORS ‘PONY UP’
FOR SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS
12 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
Mane event: Donors ‘Pony Up’ for Special Equestrians
BY MARY SCHENKEL PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 that son Jackson, born with a rare
Staff Writer Joan Swiderski, Karen and Jim Johnson, Donna Schantz, Cassie Ford and Beth Boudreau. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE brain malformation, began riding in
Washington at age 3; they joined SETC
Guests at last Saturday evening’s was honored as the beneficiary of the learns about grooming and horse care. after moving here three years ago.
Denim and Diamonds fundraiser at Sunny Hale Tribute Women’s Champi- She’s just like any other horse-mad
the Vero Beach Country Club were onship Tournament Qualifier at Vero little girl.” “When Jackson started riding hors-
happy to “Pony Up” in support of Spe- Beach Polo, featuring all-women polo es, he could only lie on his back; he
cial Equestrians of the Treasure Coast, teams. Hale, mentor to local player Tif- SETC has already branched out to couldn’t roll over, he couldn’t sit up,”
founded in 1992 to provide equine- fany Busch, passed away due to cancer extend therapeutic programs to can- said Klim, relating that when their
assisted therapy and activities to im- in 2017 at age 48. cer patients through Ride Beyond Di- therapist suggested therapeutic rid-
prove the lives of individuals with spe- agnosis, to Special Olympics riders ing, they thought she had lost her
cial needs. “Lindsay has been riding for about and, thanks to a grant from Grand mind.
10 years,” said Barbara Hires of her Harbor Outreach, to second-grade
After perusing silent-auction items daughter, who is in the program. students at Dodgertown Elementary Looking into it, she learned that
during a cocktail hour, guests were en- “She loves to ride and hang out with School. An expanded facility would horses are acutely tuned into human
tertained by the award-winning line her friends while they are riding. It’s enable SETC, a member of the Pro- emotions and that their rhythmic
dancers Wild Roses, before enjoying a built up her strength and her confi- fessional Association of Therapeutic movement helps strengthen balance,
delicious and bountiful buffet, accom- dence. Mostly, people tell her what to Horsemanship International, to also core strength and communication
panied by music from talented singer- do; when she rides she gets to tell the offer equine therapy to veterans, indi- skills. On her birthday, a couple of
songwriter David Goodman. horse what to do. When she doesn’t viduals with mental health issues, and months after he started riding, Jack-
have lessons, Lindsay visits the horses other support groups. son sat up for the very first time.
Special Equestrians has just em- and helps to clean out the stalls. She
barked on a $1 million capital cam- Guest speaker Stacey Klim shared “That really changed his life and it
paign to secure 20 acres of land and changed our lives, because we could
build a handicap-accessible covered see his curiosity,” said Klim. Now al-
equestrian facility. SETC moved tem- most 11, Jackson is still nonverbal
porarily into a new barn after their and in a wheelchair but, thanks to the
previous location was sold, and now strengthening of his core muscles, he
seek to build a permanent facility to moves about very quickly on his knees.
expand their horse herd and serve
more people. “There’s a waiting list. Those kids,
those students, need to be riding. Look
“We currently have the capacity for at what it did for my son,” said Klim,
50 lessons a week. We’d love to be able urging support for the capital cam-
to give one- or two-hundred lessons a paign. “Let’s get them their own home
week,” said Vicki Penly, SETC program so that they can expand their program
director, adding that they are always and more and more children will get
looking for instructors and can help the opportunity that my son had to
them become certified. “We have a ride a horse and make progress.”
waiting list right now of over 20 people
who want to ride and we don’t have the On April 13, Charley Replogle will
spots for them to ride.” sponsor an Argentina Asada (BBQ) at
Special Equestrians’ 74th Ave. Barn. For
The Sunday before this event, SETC more information, visit specialequestri-
anstreasurecoast.org.
14 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 Michelle Penly and Tiffany Busch. Charlie Replogle and Mary Ellen Replogle.
Diane Parentela, Vickie Penly and Debbie Campbell.
Mary Johnson, Teresita Collins and Jenae Collins. Arline Banuells and Lola Rodriguez. Marci Malas with daughter Sophia.
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 15
PEOPLE
Dawn Jones, Kylie Sheehan, Clarissa Echezarreta and Jennifer Williams. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Kylie Sheehan and Tiffany Busch.
Karen Johnson and Beth Boudreau. Bill Feldpaush, Newton Vance and Peter Jones. Front: Carol Payne, Marion Tipton, James and Maveric Herrera.
Nancy Feldpaush, Karen Vance, Trish Hickey Jones and Cherie Thompson.
Sidney McClurkin and Olivia Hawkins
with Joy and Ozzie.
16 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Stacy Klim and Faith Rangel. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Bernadette and Mike Emerick with Karen Egan.
Michelle Penly with Dr. Richard and Vickie Penly.
Karen Johnson and Joan Swiderski. Greg and Angela Nelson. Tiffany Busch and Christina Clark.
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 17
PEOPLE
Diane and Vinnie Parentela. David Goodman. Denise Jiruska, Daniel LaBelle and Amanda Jiruska.
Debbie Campbell and Bill Glanzmann. Peter and Barbara Hires with daughter Lindsay Hires. Brittany Wood, Jimmy Johnson and Beth Wood.
Marina and Tom Lockwood. Cassie Ford and Tory Johansen.
Dee Dee Maynard, Jennifer Decker and Wendie Smith.
18 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
‘Seuss’ on the loose at Moonshot Family Literacy fest
BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Bridget Lyons, Michele Holiday, Angela Peterson, Marie O’Brien, Cat Faust and (back) Adam Faust. playing games and making crafts,
Staff Writer matching alphabet beans and playing
Craig Phillips with the community working together sight word games, building sentences,
More than 200 children and their to help turn the tide on the growing and going on a letter scavenger hunt.
families went on a Seussical journey CEO/Managing Partner literacy epidemic. According to the
at Dodgertown Elementary School Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, “I am so impressed with all the ideas
last Saturday during the third annual one in six children in the U.S. are not and activities Michele put together.
Moonshot Moment Family Literacy reading proficiently in third grade. They are very well-developed literacy
Festival. Using a theme built on “Oh activities based on neuroscience. And
the places you will go,” by Dr. Seuss, “The reading gap we have with our everyone had so much fun,” said Ma-
the event promoted the importance kids is not solely on the teachers’ and rie O’Brien, TLA Moonshot outreach
of embracing new opportunities and schools’ shoulders. We have to do our manager.
trying new things. part as a community to help our fami-
lies, to help our children build better After getting their fill of pizza and
To honor the birthday of Theodor literacy,” said Holiday. cupcakes, children visited the Moon-
Seuss Geisel, a few of his friends shot Moment Bookmobile and the
dropped by, including The Cat in the Activities were designed to show Moonshot Moment Rocket.
Hat, Sam I Am, and Horton, who all the children that reading is fun, and
posed with festival-goers and added to give parents ideas on ways to work Heeding Dr. Seuss, who said “you’re
to the “Seuss-ational” day. with them at home. Youngsters excit- never too old, too wacky, too wild, to
edly traveled from station to station, pick up a book and read to a child,”
The event has continued to grow reading words, letters and books, members of the community pitched
over the three years since organizer in to support the Moonshot goal of
Michele Holiday first approached The having 90 percent of all students read-
Learning Alliance with the idea of ing at or above grade-level by third
holding a free literacy festival in the grade.
Gifford Community. It has since built
upon the collaborative framework of Angela Thomas Peterson emceed
The Learning Alliance’s Moonshot a finger-snapping Poetry Slam Com-
Community Action Network (MCAN), petition, kicked off by poet Dorrian
Bridges with a recitation of some of
IS YOUR ADVISOR his work, before younger participants,
A FIDUCIARY? including a 5-year-old and 10 Pelican
Chances are you Island third-grade students, had their
have no idea. turn.
Please contact me
for the answers. “They came in early every day be-
fore school to work on their props and
practice their poems,” said teacher
Karen Whelan. “This was such a good
experience for them.”
“We are so grateful to Michele and
her parents for caring about literacy in
the community. They are truly a mod-
el for other churches to see how they
can support the Moonshot Moment
literacy movement. This is a great way
for us to reach families and spread
the message about the importance of
reading,” said O’Brien.
For more information, visit thelearn-
ingalliance.org.
736 Beachland Blvd. Vero Beach, FL 32963
(772) 231-3122 www.c1ag.com
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 19
PEOPLE
Easton Kendrick. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES
Justin Nawman, Alicia Maneiro, Kytianna Williams, Barbara Pearce and Cayla Atkins.
Veronica Loka. Tonia Maistros.
Amari Dillard and Wanda Holiday. Adam Faust.
20 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
Fashion Meets Art: Adler’s ‘design journey’ captivates
BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer
Famed potter and designer Jonathan Karen Loeffler, Jonathan Adler and Melinda Cooper. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE when he opens up his mind, he said,
Adler enthralled a crowd of 300 guests “I’m always looking for inspiration in
with a dynamic energy that matches sign career journey.” of Design and considered studying for improbable places. Inspiration is not
his work at the Fashion Meets Art event Against a backdrop of colorful slides an MFA but was told he had no talent. a rational thing.”
last Wednesday afternoon at the Vero “So, that happened,” said Adler with a
Beach Museum of Art. of his work – including many displayed laugh. Adler said the journey from idea to
in his own stunningly beautiful homes product is a long and challenging one,
“Simon raved to him about his visit to – Adler said he describes his design He described his early life as “a adding, “I just really want to continue
Vero Beach,” said Karen Loeffler, event style as “modern American glamour.” complete screw-up, disaster,” until a to be creative. I have all these merry
co-chair with Melinda Cooper, refer- Modern, meaning “forward think- pivotal moment at about age 27, when collaborators helping me realize my
encing last year’s inaugural speaker, ing, original and rooted in today and he received his first big production as- vision. There’s a team of people doing
Simon Doonan, creative ambassador tomorrow”; American, capturing the signment for Barney’s – and also met this; I take all the credit,” said Adler,
of Barney’s New York and Adler’s hus- “spirit of optimism and possibility”; Doonan. adding with a laugh, “and I want to
band. “Jonathan’s people phoned and and glamour, “standing out, being keep that alive.”
asked if we would like him to come to memorable, eccentric and making an Bit by bit, Adler branched out, and
Vero Beach and we said we would love impression.” now creates a wide and eclectic collec- Adler said he considers himself
it!” tion of items for the home in “as many very lucky to have had such an in-
“The second I touched clay, it was different mediums as possible.” He credible design journey, but that ul-
Event sponsors enjoyed some one- just on,” said Adler, sharing that his said he also works on various design timately, family and friends are most
on-one time with Adler at a pre-pre- lifelong pottery passion first began at projects, from residential to commer- important to him.
sentation reception, and following summer camp. “I knew that clay would cial, always attempting to “create a
his talk – held this year in the Holmes have to be in my future.” sense of place. I try to make everything “Peace and love is what it’s all
Great Hall to accommodate the large very personal; very un-programmed.” about; that’s me.”
crowd – he graciously met with nu- A graduate of Brown University, he
merous other fans at another recep- took classes at the Rhode Island School Commenting that ideas come to him
tion, where guests could also purchase
Trunk Show selections.
“Last year was the first year that we
did this program. We filled the audi-
torium and people loved it. It was un-
believable for Year One to be so suc-
cessful,” said Brady Roberts, VBMA
executive director/CEO in his welcome
address, attributing the success of
both events to two dynamic speakers
and the leadership of the co-chairs.
“I’ll just tell you a little about moi,”
said Adler captivating the audience
with snippets of his “improbable de-
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 21
PEOPLE
Page Franzel, Eilis Powers and Diane Langevin. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
Zoe McCall, Anne Farb and Nora Koontz.
Kathy Voorhees and Becky Torbin. Charlotte Stifel and Linda Teetz.
Carol Coxhead and Teresa Winslow. Shannon Colkitt and Cassidy Sweeney. Sandy Morgan and Nancy Lynch.
22 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 Cathy Padgett and Pat Hemingway Hall. Deb Daly and Stevie Cappelen.
Ed Cortez and Brady Roberts.
Trudie Rainone and Elke Fetterolf. Mary Wright, Brady Roberts and Elizabeth Kennedy. Anita Stapleton and Sheila Herget.
24 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
Laissez, the better! Good times roll at ‘We Care’ Mardi Gras
BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF STORY & PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 Celebrating in authentic Fat Tues- “We Care is all about specialty
Staff Writer day spirit, guests did their best to sa- services and physicians,” explained
Elizabeth White and Brian Hartman. lute the Boeuf Gras, reveling at tables “Shelley Stuven, executive director
Supporters of the We Care Foun- laden with iconic New Orleans-style of the We Care Foundation. “Instead
dation took the expression “laissez man, Mardi Gras co-chair with Eliz- cuisine, finishing with bananas Fos- of primary care, it’s about ophthal-
les bons temps rouler” to heart last abeth White, adding that they hoped ter and Bourbon Street-deconstruct- mologists, gastroenterologists, or-
Friday evening during its fifth annu- to raise more than $200,000. ed pecan pie shooters for dessert. thopedic doctors and oncologists.”
al Mardi Gras celebration at the Oak
Harbor Club. The ‘krewe’ brought Proceeds from the New Orleans- To kick off the main event, We “Last year we assisted 26 patients
the ‘Big Easy’ to town, adorning ta- infused fête will benefit the We Care Care founder Dr. Dennis Saver led with Hepatitis C,” said Saver, adding
bles with beads, glittery feathered Foundation of Indian River County, a colorful Endymion parade into that the medicine to cure the illness
masks and model cars as an indi- the fundraising arm of the We Care the dining room, before turning the retails for about $75,000 for each
cation that the good times ahead program. The evening also honored stage over to D.J. Louie and the high- treatment; these patients received it
would be fast and loose. the 160 volunteer physicians who energy, colorfully feathered Phoebe at no charge.
last year alone provided more than Samba Team.
More than 250 masked guests $1 million in care and services to In addition to helping patients
dressed in their Mardi Gras finery, 2,000-plus patients. We Care was founded in 1991 as with various medications, he said We
enjoyed cocktails as they strolled a cooperative venture between the Care also provided 28 patients with
down Bourbon Street while perus- Indian River County Medical So- free endoscopies at the new Scully
ing a plethora of silent-auction items ciety, IRC Health Department and Endoscopy Center, administered by
and purchasing raffle tickets. The Hospital Tax District to provide free volunteer GI doctors; enabled other
festive carnival ambiance was re- healthcare to uninsured individuals patients to receive cataract lenses
plete with wandering performers, living at 150 percent below the fed- during free cataract surgeries; and
including a magician, stilt walkers, eral poverty level. provided wound care supplies, CPAP
caricature artist and jugglers. machines and other necessities.
Funds raised at the event support
“Tonight we get the medical com- the ancillary expenses of the We In an effort to better serve pa-
munity together with the rest of the Care program, such as transporta- tients, Saver noted that We Care is
community to raise money for a tion to medical appointments, spe- currently in discussions with the
great organization,” said Brian Hart- cial surgical supplies and surgery Sebastian River Medical Center and
center expenses. Stuart Medical groups to develop
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26 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
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STORY & PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24
Paul Sinnott with Angela and Greg Nelson.
Sandy Robinson, Shelley Stuven and Robi Robinson.
Drs. Nancy and Rick Baker. PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 27
PEOPLE Kelley Bell, Ann Chesnut and Janean Barrows.
volunteer physician services there, in addition to
their continued work with the Cleveland Clinic In-
dian River Hospital and other partners.
“In the future, you can expect to see an increased
online communication from We Care, including
the We Care newsletter and more community vis-
ibility,” said Saver.
Later on this year, We Care will kick off a sustain-
able funding campaign, during which they plan to
provide local residents with tours of the clinic.
“We Care continues to be blessed by the support
of you, our community,” said Saver. “We have been
successful and intend to be even more so – help-
ing one more time, one more patient wherever pos-
sible.”
For more information, visit wecareofirc.org.
Stephanie Nelson, Ben Earman, Jody Edwards and Janice Benedetti.
Dr. Dennis Saver and Ann Marie McCrystal.
Erika Albertini and Dr. Raul Storey-Rojas.
Elizabeth White and Hala Laviolette.
28 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
Over $400K in play as Impact 100 names grant finalists
BY MARY SCHENKEL ing,” said Denise Battaglini, current Event sponsor Ryan Weaver, of Ryan Brenda Cetrulo, grants committee
Staff Writer president, at a Meet the Finalists Re- Weaver Insurance, related that about chair, expounded on the intensive grant
ception last Thursday afternoon. She three years ago, he and a dozen other process, which included a 52-member
Indian River Impact 100 members explained that the grant process had local businessmen used the Impact panel of members who reviewed the
will have a somewhat different decision begun in September and continued all 100 model to start a fund with the In- grants and conducted site visits be-
to make at their April 17 Annual Meet- the way to the day before, when the fi- dian River Community Foundation fore making their recommendations
ing, when this year’s 420 women gather nal vetting of grants occurred. called Business for a Better Indian River to a 14-member group, who ultimately
to vote on which nonprofit organiza- County. It has since grown to about 25 choose the finalists.
tions will receive 2019 Transformation- Thanking all who participated in the members.
al Grants. process, she added, “it’s a lot of work be- “In reflection of our last four months
hind the scenes to make this happen, so “It’s not always what you give but who of review, one word comes to my mind,
“Today has been a long time in com- thank you ladies.” you inspire,” said Weaver. and that’s integrity,” said Cetrulo. “And
like other years, our panel members
reviewed these grants with the utmost
integrity.”
She noted that there were hard deci-
sions to be made, as they considered the
myriad high standards Impact 100 has
set for its substantive, impactful grants,
before introducing the finalists.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Indian
River County wishes to fund a program
called Destinations, which will assist
disadvantaged teens to identify and
stick with a future career path that in-
cludes college, vocational and military
pathways.
“Impact 100 funds would provide the
support of staff and other programmat-
ic needs, like clothing for job interviews,
and college tours,” said Cetrulo.
The HALO No Kill Rescue is seeking
funds for its HALO Enrichment Cen-
ter, Training Center and Low Cost Vet-
erinary Clinic. The grant would fund
materials and equipment at the center
which would provide low-cost spaying
and neutering, and would have year-
round space for behavioral trainers and
volunteers to rehabilitate animals for
adoption.
“HALO’s vision is to transform Indian
River County into a no-kill community
of our furry domestic friends,” said Ce-
trulo.
The Space Coast Symphony Orches-
tra wishes to introduce Music Educa-
tion Programs designed to bring music
education to underexposed children in
an engaging way.
“Space Coast Symphony Orchestra
would like funding to start four educa-
tional programs for Indian River Coun-
ty families and children,” said Cetrulo.
The programs include family concerts,
children’s concerts for elementary stu-
dents, connecting high school students
with professional musicians, and ex-
posing children to different families of
instruments.
“With over 400 members, that means
that we have over $400,000 to invest
again this year in our programs in this
community,” said Battaglini, stressing
that only three finalists made it through
the stringent vetting process this year
PHOTOS & STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 29
PEOPLE
Suzanne Conway, Suzy Osgood, and Judy Peschio. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE
Connie Dominianni, Ray Estes, Brenda Lloyd, and Anne Lanier.
30 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
PEOPLE
PHOTOS & STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 Rob Kyzer, Jacque Petrone, Allyson Bootes and Jan Howington. because the panelists were “really, vest in this community, like we’ve
Melissa and Ryan Weaver with Sherri Kolo. really great stewards of your mon- been doing the last several years.
ey.” And so we still have the opportu-
nity to make the same transforma-
She said that despite there being tional difference in the community
only three finalists, the full mem- that we’ve always had. With this
bership will still have an oppor- year, when we award these grants,
tunity to vote in April on whether we’re going to cross the $4 million
or not they should receive a grant mark of investing in Indian River
award. Members will also have a County. So we have a lot to be ex-
second vote, on investment op- cited about and we have a lot to be
tions. proud of.”
“It’s the members’ money; you In closing, she reiterated “the
get to decide,” said Battaglini. “De- impact of Impact is us; it’s all of us,
spite the fact that our options are 400-plus women strong.”
limited this year, the outcome of
what we’re doing is going to be the For more information, visit im-
same. We still have $400,000 to in- pact100ir.com.
George Davala, Elizabeth Thomason, Laura Luettger and Bill Munn.
Ryan and Melissa Weaver, Agency Owners Cindy Galant and Brenda Cetrulo. Denise Battaglini and Amy Acker.
Ryan Weaver Insurance, Inc. is a locally owned
independent agency that has been serving
Indian River County for over 12 years.
All lines of commercial or personal insurance available.
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Bonnie Wilson, Gladys LaForge, Suzanne Carter and Laura McDermott.
ARTIST PROKOP PREACHES, TEACHES
THE ‘JOY’ OF PAINTING
32 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
ARTS & THEATRE
Artist Prokop preaches, teaches the ‘Joy’ of painting
BY KERRY FIRTH Theresa Frappier Prokop. ses,” says Prokop. “It’s simply painting
Correspondent or drawing something that tells a sto-
PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES ry. It might incorporate people doing
Theresa Frappier Prokop looked as if things, or boats or swans. It’s not re-
she had just stepped out of one of her ally depicting a reality as much as it’s
whimsical paintings, dressed in flow- creating a dream. It’s whimsical and
ing watercolor pants, turquoise blouse magical.”
and bold hand-painted denim jacket.
Her foray into art began at a very
Yet even the large bauble earrings young age, when she colored every-
and oversized beads she wore couldn’t thing she could get her hands on, in-
compete with her effervescent smile. cluding shoes, jackets, sidewalks and
And that’s just the first impression of walls. Heeding the advice of an el-
the dynamic artist, who gets more col- ementary school teacher who had no-
orful and exciting as the conversation ticed her talent, her parents enrolled
continues. her in a few sculpting and painting
classes at the local museum.
A renowned folk artist from Con-
necticut, Prokop now happily winters “I didn’t want anything to do with
in Sebastian, and is one of several art- sculpting,” Prokop recalls with a
ists in the Wabasso-based Coral Mer- laugh. “I just wanted to paint.”
maid Gallery.
Her artistic side truly blossomed
Prokop says she uses her vivid imag- when the late, great art instructor, Bob
ination to depict whimsical scenes tell Ross, came to town. She immediately
stories, blending life experiences and signed up for one of his ‘Joy of Paint-
memories to depict the kinder, gentler ing’ classes, all while juggling a full-
side of life, such as children playing at time job as a staff nursing coordinator
the park, trick or treating on Hallow- at a local hospital, as well as her role as
een, or opening presents on Christmas wife and mother. She was hooked.
Day.
“I had never really had formal-
“Folk art is as old as Grandma Mo- ized instruction since childhood, but
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 33
ARTS & THEATRE
his method made it easy. I took three regularly in various painting maga- on painting garden poles at Whisper- life is so rewarding.”
years of his classes and became a cer- zines. She also has free acrylic and ing Palms (a manufactured home She also teaches an adult painting
tified Bob Ross instructor in 1986.” watercolor pencil instructional videos community in Sebastian).
available on YouTube and her art is class at the Sebastian River Art Club
When he wanted her to travel with displayed at the Marietta Museum of “Watching the joy that my students and soon hopes to offer classes else-
him and teach, she chose to stay home Art and Whimsy in Sarasota, Fla. get when their own artwork comes to where.
with her family. She began teaching
two classes per week, while working “The Internet has taken my work “I have been fortunate enough to
local art shows on the weekends. worldwide,” she explains. “I didn’t win Best of Show, First Place and Judg-
even know what a paint pattern was es’ awards many times over, but the
“My sister and I would do arts and until I was approached by Deco Art to best award is the simple ‘thank you’
crafts shows every weekend, sell- create instructions for one of my de- you get from a student.”
ing paintings on canvas, clothing, signs. Basically, I give step-by-step in-
furniture and pretty much anything structions on how to duplicate one of Commenting that the inspiration
that paint would stick to,” she recalls. my paintings. I list all of the supplies, for her art comes from her faith, fam-
“Quite frankly, I started painting to provide a stencil and even specify ily, community and home, she says,
make money for my family. We had which paint brushes and brush strokes “Painting has gotten me through life.
two children to educate and bills to be to use in the process.” It’s therapy when times are tough and
paid.” pure elation when times are good.”
Prokop adds with a smile, “It’s al-
Prokop says her husband was very most too good to be true. I get all my HOT GLASS AND COOL JEWELS
supportive of her efforts, traveling supplies donated by the companies I
with her to Lancaster, Penn., to buy endorse; I get paid by the magazines to The Treasure Coast’s largest collection of
unfinished furniture at auctions and publish my patterns, and then I get the contemporary glass and one of America’s
later purchasing it directly from the original painting back to sell outright. Coolest Stores, right here in Vero Beach.
Amish. Basically, I get paid three times for a
single painting.”
“We’d fill the trailer and haul it back
home where I would paint it,” she says. After coming to Florida a couple
“The kids came with us and we always of years ago, she created a whimsical
made an adventure out of the trip. It ‘Sassy Ole Ladies’ greeting card line
truly was a family affair. I consider inspired by her Florida girlfriends,
myself a decorative folk artist because humorously depicting mature, fun-
I will literally paint on anything.” loving women letting it all hang out in
their teeny bikinis.
While her preferred paint is acrylic –
finding oils messy and tedious to dry – “Their bodies may not be perfect but
Prokop says she also enjoys the trans- their attitude sure is,” jokes Prokop.
parency of water color and is quick to “Laughing at the aging process makes
experiment with new mediums. it palatable.”
“I’ve recently been enjoying the Her Internet successes aside, Prokop
wonder of poured paint. It’s a pro- says she thrives on teaching people on
cess where you simply pour a puddle a one-on-one basis.
of each color onto a canvas and watch
the paints expand and blend the colors “Helping someone tap into their in-
harmoniously. The results are breath- ner talent brings me great joy,” she ex-
taking.” plains. “I am currently teaching a class
Prokop has sold her work at arts and
crafts shows throughout New England
for 30-plus years, and also became the
largest seller of folk art on eBay. Excit-
ing new opportunities began to come
her way when she created her New-
EnglandFolkArtists.com website.
Patterns of her designs are now
sold through decorative paint stores
and catalogs. She is sponsored by art
supply companies, and is featured
ATLANTIC CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA
F Bizet
Symphony in C
El amor brujo: Ballet Suite
Tara Curtis, mezzo - soprano Rossini
Eva Conti, flamenco Overture to L’Italiana in Algeri
Thursday, March 14 Community Church
7:30 p.m. Vero Beach
CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA 772.460.0850
DAVID AMADO www.AtlanticClassicalOrchestra.com 2910 CARDINAL DRIVE, VERO BEACH • 772-234-6711 • THELAUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM
Music Director & Conductor
34 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
ARTS & THEATRE
Out with the new, in with old ‘Radicals’ at art museum
BY ELLEN FISCHER PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES with Victorian Radicals included se-
Columnist lecting, in concert with Matthew Man-
seum of Art last fall. From of the museum’s gold, VBMA chief preparator, paint
An exhibition that fills all four gal- here, Victorian Radicals galleries: the colors for the gallery walls to set off the
leries at the Vero Beach Museum of Art will travel to the Se- Holmes, Titel- objects on display. In the Holmes Gal-
with glittering displays of paintings, attle Art Museum, Yale man, Schumann lery, wine-red accent walls reflect mid-
drawings, book art, jewelry, ceram- Center for British art and Stark, plus 19th century England’s taste for deep
ics, metalwork and textile art is large in New Haven, Conn., the Stark Rotun- hues and detailed ornamentation.
enough that you can’t appreciate it all Nevada Museum of da,” says Danielle The earliest Pre-Raphaelite paintings,
in one visit. “Victorian Radicals: From Art in Reno and the Johnson, VBMA as well as craft objects from London’s
the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Frick Pittsburgh. curator of mod- Great Exposition of 1851, are located
Crafts Movement” contains 144 ob- “This is the first ex- ern and contem- here.
jects, each of which has the power to porary art.
fascinate. To give the show its due, you hibition in the museum’s For the normally antiseptic white
will want to visit the exhibit more than history to occupy all four Johnson’s work transition area between the Holmes,
once before the show closes on May 5. Titelman and Schumann Galleries,
Johnson selected a perennially chic
The exhibition was organized by the
Museum and Art Gallery of the Morris and Com-
Birmingham (England) Mu- pany acanthus
seum Trust, in cooperation wallpaper to put
with the American Federa- the visitor in the
tion of Arts. The latter is a mood for the sec-
nonprofit organization that ond-generation
partners with museums to Pre-Raphaelite
develop and present exhibi- paintings and
tions around the world. The Arts and Crafts
VBMA is the second venue on objects in the lat-
the exhibition’s U.S. tour; its first ter two galleries.
stop was the Oklahoma City Mu- The Titelman
and Schumann
BACKUS & BUTCHER
AND THE FLORIDA LANDSCAPE
Two Paths • One Passion
A. E. BACKUS (American, 1906-1990). EVERGLADES ISLAND, c. 1970. CLYDE BUTCHER (American, b.1941). CRYSTAL RIVER, 1994.
Oil on canvas. Collection of the A. E. Backus Museum & Gallery, 2008.B2.OC.3 Analog-Archival Silver Gelatin Print. Courtesy of the artist.
March 9 - April 28, 2019
Opening Reception
Friday, March 15, 2019 6 - 8 pm
Members Free / Not-Yet Members $20
SEE THE REVERENT VISION OF TWO MASTER ARTISTS CAPTURE THE ICONIC
MAJESTY OF THE SWAMPS, SHORES, GLADES AND SAVANNAS OF
THEIR HOME.
Exhibition Misty and
Sponsors: Michael
Minton
500 North Indian River Drive
Historic Downtown Fort Pierce
(772) 465-0630
www.BackusMuseum.com
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 35
ARTS & THEATRE
galleries are painted in lighter colors, Danielle Johnson, curator of Sylvia was the Duke of Milan’s coura-
to reflect what the artists themselves Modern and Contemporary Art. geous daughter, determined to risk all
were using, Johnson says. for her Valentine. Hunt’s Sylvia is nei-
ther the ideal of the ancients, nor of
At the main entrance to the exhibi- the Renaissance. More hothouse lily
tion, the first artwork in the Holmes than Lombardy sunflower, this Sylvia
Gallery represents an English painting is an Englishwoman.
in the decades preceding the advent,
in 1848, of the artists who called them- You can spend much of your time
selves Pre-Raphaelites. It is Charles in the show reading the story every
Lock Eastlake’s “The Champion” of painting has to tell.
1824, depicting a medieval knight ac-
cepting a challenge from a turbaned There are plenty of high-minded
messenger at left. Between them, in subjects from literature, the Bible and
the distance, the knight’s mounted Greek mythology, but the pleasures
rival raises his sword to signal, “Here and ills of life in Victorian England are
I am!” At the knight’s left, a fair maid- also represented.
en ties a pink sash around the hero’s
breastplate, as a grave monk looks on. cated abundance and prismatic color.
No detail was too small, or too profuse,
A Royal Academician and a director to be excluded from their pictures.
of London’s National Gallery, Eastlake Their inspiration was the culture of
“was definitively part of the establish- medieval northern Europe, with its
ment,” says Johnson. rich history of textile design, stained
glass and illuminated manuscripts.
Eastlake populated “The Challenge”
with type-cast characters that go back “The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
to the ideals of the Italian Renais- was cohesive and worked closely with
sance, which in turn found inspiration one another, for only about five years,”
for the human form in classical Greek says Johnson.
and Roman statuary. “The Challenge,”
therefore, gives us the expected Eu- But the styles and ideas they devel-
ropean hero of aquiline nose, lower- oped during that time were carried
ing brow and cheekbones to die for; forward not only by their own cohort,
a blond maiden who could double for but also by succeeding generations of
the Virgin Mary; a middle-aged man, English painters for the next 50 years,
gray of beard but hale of body; and a as exemplified by objects throughout
dark-skinned male in the role of exotic the exhibition.
“other.”
To illustrate the difference between
The grace of Eastlake’s figures is the old style and the new, Johnson
surpassed only by those in another points to an 1851 painting by Wil-
academic painting in the exhibition, liam Holman Hunt, “Two Gentlemen
William Etty’s “Pandora Crowned of Verona,” that depicts a scene from
by the Seasons,” completed between Shakespeare’s comedy.
1824 and 1830. Talk about your classi-
cal ideals – Etty’s beauties look like the It shows the moment when, at center
figures in an ancient marble frieze. stage, the knight Valentine rescues his
girlfriend Sylvia from the amorous ad-
In reaction to this type of art, a Pre- vances of his friend Proteus. Disguised
Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded as a boy, Proteus’ true love, Julia, has
in 1848 by artists William Holman seen everything – and leans sulking
Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante against a tree. Evidently, Proteus is as
Gabriel Rossetti. They sought to give changeable as the shape-shifting sea
their paintings modernity by looking god he is named after.
back to a time in art before the hu-
manistic values and art forms of the “You are immediately struck by how
Renaissance spread throughout Eu- bright the colors are that Hunt used,”
rope. says Johnson, remarking on the purple
and flame-red of Julia’s garments, and
For the Pre-Raphaelites, the art the pink pants (hot in more ways than
of the Italian painter Raphael, born one) of Proteus.
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino in 1483,
exemplified the Renaissance. The Also remarkable are the naturalistic
softly rounded forms, subtle color and poses of the characters. Take Proteus,
gracefulness of Raphael’s figures – in- who is seen on awkwardly bended
deed, his suppression of anything that knee. He holds his left hand to the
could be considered inharmonious back of his neck, as though to signify
within the picture – soon became the the place where Valentine grabbed
academic model for generations of art him (impudent pup!) away from Syl-
students, well into the 19th century. via. Proteus’ right hand is clasped in
Valentine’s left. It is uncertain whether
Raphael’s example also summed up Valentine is giving him a hand up, or
exactly what the Pre-Raphaelites ab- forcing him to remain kneeling before
horred. Theirs was not to be an art of Sylvia in apology.
bland harmony, or truisms masquer-
ading as truth. They wanted to show Sylvia’s reddish hair bespeaks Celt-
life as they knew it -- in all its compli- ic ancestry; her slightly bulging eyes
suggest myopia. Her pallor does not do
for a spirited Italian girl; Shakespeare’s
36 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
ARTS & THEATRE
Coming Up: A ‘Super Tuesday’ of entertainment options
BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA “wise, witty and winning, in short, saturated performances. Wikipe-
Staff Writer a miraculous musical,” opens at Riv- dia sums up the story. In an ancient
erside Theatre this coming Tuesday, Roman neighborhood are three ad-
1 This coming Tuesday, March March 12. Based on George Bernard jacent houses. In the middle house
12, is bursting at the seams Shaw’s play “Pygmalion,” the plot lives Senex, his wife Domina, son
of the show frequently called “the Hero and their slaves, including head
with terrific entertainment choices. perfect musical” centers on Cock- slave Hysterium and the main char-
ney flower girl Eliza Doolittle, who acter Pseudolus, who is determined
Complete this phrase: “The rain in agrees to take speech lessons from to gain his freedom by any means
a set-in-his-ways phoneticist, Pro- necessary, and attempts to do so by
Spain …….” Yes! Lerner and Lowe’s fessor Henry Higgins. Higgins, ap- helping his lovesick young master,
Hero, win the love of his major crush,
wondrous 1956 musical “My Fair the gorgeous girl next door, Philia.
Next door happens to be the home
Lady,” a triumph New York Herald of Marcus Lycus, who is “a buyer
and seller of beautiful women,” and
Tribune critic Walter Kerr called Philia happens to be a courtesan, but
also a virgin. (Go figure.) The third
palled by Eliza’s way with the King’s house belongs to the ancient Erro-
English, bets a friend he can teach nius, who is away, searching for his
her to speak so beautifully that she long-lost children, who were stolen in
will be able to pass as a “Lady.” The infancy by pirates. Curtain: Tuesdays
clever dialogue and unforgettable through Fridays, at 7:30 p.m.; Satur-
songs – “I Could Have Danced All days and Sundays, at 2 p.m. Tickets:
Night,” “On the Street Where You $30; student discounts. VeroBeach-
Live,” “The Rain in Spain” and “I’ve TheatreGuild.com or 772 582-8300.
Grown Accustomed to Her Face” –
are just as fresh and enchanting as
they were when they first delighted
audiences over half a century ago.
“My Fair Lady” runs through March
31. Tickets are going very fast. Cur-
tain: 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets:
start at $70. 772-231-6990 or www.
riversidetheatre.com.
2 A racy romp through ancient
Rome: Stephen Sondheim’s
multiple Tony-winning Broadway
musical smash, “A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum,”
will fill the Vero Beach Theatre Guild
stage with singers, dancers, comedi-
ans, lovers, schemers, courtesans –
all far more “appealing than appall-
ing” – this coming Tuesday, March
12, through the 31st. This bawdy, far-
cical, toga-clad pastiche premiered
on Broadway in 1962 (with the in- At Vero Beach Theatre Guild
March 12-31.
2comparable Zero Mostel in the lead
as Pseudolus) and ran for 964 laugh-
Tuesday, March 19th @ 2:30 PM
SpringHill Suites Indian River Blvd
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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 37
ARTS & THEATRE
3 Get your Irish revved up just in cords recording artists, “One Night
time for St. Paddy’s Day with an in Memphis,” will take the stage,
starring former cast members of the
exuberant troupe of young singers and Broadway show. The “One Night in
Memphis” website promises “over
dancers from the Emerald Isle, this 90 minutes of authentic rockabilly,
country, gospel and 1950s rock and
coming Tuesday, March 12, when the roll.” Need we say more. Tickets to
these Live! From Vero Beach shows
Young Irelanders bring their “Wild tend to go fast. Time: 7 p.m. Tickets:
$35-$75. Call 800-595-4849 or www.
Atlantic Way Tour” to the VBHS Per- MusicWorkConcerts.com.
forming Arts Center. It’s a Saint Pat- 5 March 15 at Emerson Center.
rick’s Day celebration you won’t want
to miss. This unique troupe, all in their 3 The Young Irelanders March 12 at VBHS Performing Arts Center.
20s and 30s, says the show promo, has
been recognized by the Irish Culture
Academy “as some of its finest expo- played worldwide, including regular “La Valse,” Roussel’s sumptuous bal-
performances in the great capitals let suite, “Bacchus et Ariane Suite No.
nents of Irish traditional music,” and of Europe (Paris, London, Berlin, Vi- 2”; and the colorful “The Sorcerer’s
enna, Salzburg), as well as in Japan, Apprentice” by Dukas, which, says
will bring to the PAC stage a “unique during its 2016-2017 world tour. The the concert promo, “inspired, and
orchestra’s Tuesday performance will became the score for Disney’s ani-
and multi-faceted sound,” a melding be under the baton of its music direc- mated film ‘Fantasia,’” starring Mick-
tor and famed French conductor Sté- ey Mouse as the apprentice. Time:
of traditional Irish, Celtic, folk, world, phane Denève, who’s also music di- 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $90. 772-778-1070 or
rector of the St. Louis Symphony and www.irsymphonic.org.
jazz, country and popular music. principal guest conductor of the Phil-
adelphia Orchestra. The maestro’s
Wear something green and get ready current mission for the orchestra,
according to its website, is to design
for great vocals, energetic Irish folk programs combining 21st century
music with the great classics, “there-
dancing, and flute, banjo, accordion, by opening up a dialogue between
the repertoire of the past and that
guitar and fiddle with an irrepressible of the future.” Tuesday’s program
will feature music of Denève’s native
Irish twist. Showtime: 7 p.m. Tickets: France, including such masterpieces
as Ravel’s lush tribute to the waltz;
$39. indianriverschools.tix.com or 5 Spend “One Night in Mem-
phis” this coming Friday. Some
772-564-5537.
music just never, ever goes out of
4 Or. For the first time in Vero style. For example, that of the “Mil-
Beach, the internationally re-
lion Dollar Quartet,” the cognomen
nowned Brussels Philharmonic Or- given to legendary artists Carl Per-
chestra, heralded throughout Europe, kins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis
will perform in concert at Commu- and Elvis Presley in the Broadway
nity Church this coming Tuesday, smash of the same name. On March
March 12, at 7:30 p.m. Founded in 15, at the Emerson Center, a tribute
1935, the Brussels Philharmonic has to that stellar foursome of Sun Re-
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40 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
INSIGHT COVER STORY
On a map, Key West is just a speck THE 113-MILE LONG Waters are already creeping higher
of land surrounded by water. Tour- OVERSEAS HIGHWAY. in the Florida Keys. A National Oce-
ists from the mainland drive for hours anic and Atmospheric Administration
over the aptly-named Overseas High- THE LOW-LYING ISLANDS (NOAA) tidal gauge in Key West has
way to reach this vacation paradise at OF THE FLORIDA KEYS, logged about 9 inches of sea-level rise
the tip of the Florida Keys. The island’s over the past century. As a result, flood-
remoteness and sparkling waters en- SUCH AS CUDJOE KEY ARE ing has slowly become more of a norm.
tice more than 3 million visitors a year, ON THE FRONT LINE OF
and buoy residents’ fierce love for the CLIMATE CHANGE. A few times a year, some residents
place. awake to find seawater in the street.
AN INJECTION WELL That happens during the highest tides.
But being out in the middle of the INSTALLED BY THE CITY These so-called king tides now rise
ocean is as much a danger as it is a HELPS CONTROL FLOOD- high enough to bubble up through
draw. With an average elevation of 4.7 ING ON THE STREETS IN low-elevation storm drains. Business-
feet above sea level, Key West is par- es near those low spots keep sand-
ticularly vulnerable to threats from the KEY WEST. bags at the ready to keep this nuisance
ocean. That isn’t lost on homeowners, flooding at bay. One CVS store relocat-
as many know the flood risk of their ed after the merchandise on its lowest
homes down to the inch. racks got wet too many times.
Key West is on the front line of cli- The city has invested in infrastruc-
mate change. The island serves as a ture designed to alleviate nuisance
sort of measuring stick for resilience. flooding. One-way valves on storm
Islands and low-lying coastal areas drains block seawater’s easiest path
around the world face looming dis- into the streets. Injection wells divert
placement as seas rise and storms water underground when rains exac-
intensify. If the community there can erbate flooding during a king tide.
weather the storm of climate change,
perhaps there’s a path for other vul- These measures have made a differ-
nerable coastal areas, too. ence, but projections for sea-level rise
suggest that the problem could con-
“We should do what we can to make tinue to swell. Today’s king tides reach
our time on this beautiful little rock nearly 2-1/2 feet. Scientists estimate
last as long as possible,” says Alison that waters could rise 6 to 10 inches
Higgins, sustainability coordinator above 1992 levels by 2030. Higher seas
for Key West. “As the canary in the means bigger king tides and higher
coal mine, if we’re not willing to make storm surge during hurricanes – an-
changes, why should anyone?” other source of flooding.
City officials and homeowners have The city has taken steps to elevate por-
already been adapting infrastructure tions of KeyWest, including a community
to keep flooding at bay, with an eye to- park, a fire station, and some roads. Last
ward Key West’s long-term habitabil- year Monroe County, which includes all
ity. But such changes come at a price. of the Florida Keys, made plans to raise
And with an already high cost of living more roads in anticipation of future sea-
driving demographic changes in the level rise – a project that could cost more
Keys, that raises questions about who than $3 million per mile.
gets to stay.
But these city and county infrastruc-
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 41
ture projects can only do so much, says INSIGHT COVER STORY
Ms. Higgins. “You raise a road, and that
just pushes more water somewhere A PAINTER WORKS ON A BUILDING Key West Mayor Teri Johnston sees
else, which is usually into the private IN THE OLD PART OF THE CITY ON these building codes as helping build
properties.” JAN. 17, 2019 IN KEY WEST. resilience into the community, a natu-
ral extension of the hurricane abate-
The cost of adapting a home to keep ment efforts that have always been a
flooding out isn’t pocket change. Just part of the city’s planning efforts.
ask Peter Batty.
“We have had [some of] the strongest
Mr. Batty elevated his KeyWest home building codes in the United States for
last year. It cost him about $175,000, years,” she says. “So I see this it is an ex-
“part of the price of living in paradise,” tension of that. We've gone from wind
he says. to water now.”
That’s the high end of what raising a Raising their houses isn’t the only
home here could cost, as Batty's four- price Key West homeowners pay for
bedroom house is heavy concrete and living surrounded by water. If they
was resting directly on the ground. have a mortgage and are at a high risk
Frame houses that already have a of flooding, they usually are required
crawl space beneath them for leverage to purchase flood insurance. And, with
could cost between $20,000 to $30,000 most of the island at a low base flood
to raise because it’s a simpler job. elevation, that can get expensive.
Batty didn’t plan to raise his home On top of flood insurance, mort-
when he bought it in January 2017. gage-holding homeowners are also of-
But building codes, renovations, and ten required to carry separate home-
hurricane Irma conspired to give him owners and wind insurance policies.
that nudge. The three can add up.
In Key West, any home built be- “It is not unheard of that those bills,
fore Dec. 31, 1974, doesn’t have to be cumulatively, exceed your mortgage,”
brought up to code unless the owner says Steve Russ, who is vice president
spends more than 50 percent of the of the board of directors for the grass-
house’s value on renovations. Batty roots organization Fair Insurance
had already planned some alterations Rates in Monroe County. “The impact
to the home before Irma ripped the of insurance costs have driven people
roof off in September 2017, pushing that I know out of the Keys.”
his costs over that threshold.
Renters are faced with their own set
According to the building codes, of challenges.
Batty had to raise his house an addi-
tional 2 feet 2 inches to surpass the Anita McGee works seven days a
base flood elevation rate established week as a parking attendant in down-
by the Federal Emergency Manage- town Key West. She’s lived here for
ment Agency. three decades. But since her landlady
died this past year, she has been un-
able to find a new apartment that she
STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 42
42 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 INSIGHT COVER STORY
can afford and that will accommodate uous housing situation for Lower Keys ANITA MCGEE WORKS AS Local government agencies are ex-
her two dogs, Tetris and Taffy. residents. Many low-income work- A PARKING ATTENDANT IN ploring the possibility of building re-
ers own or rent trailer homes that are silient affordable housing complexes.
“I should be able to have a place particularly vulnerable to high winds, DOWNTOWN KEY WEST. But there’s a major roadblock: The
to live and all that,” says Ms. McGee. heavy rains, and storm surge. In the state has a cap on development in
“Most people should that work hard wake of a destructive hurricane, the by driving up home prices and reduc- the Keys to ensure efficient evacua-
and are responsible and try to stay cost of rebuilding can make its way ing the housing stock. tion along the single highway in the
with everything and keep everything into rental rates, deter some from re- event of a hurricane. The Keys are on
together in their lives.” building, and prompt some property In the past year, Key West home track to hit that limit by 2023.
owners to sell. prices have risen 12.2 percent, ac-
Owning a home is out of the ques- cording to Zillow. And as wealthier There is already workforce and af-
tion for McGee and many other ser- Many buyers coming into Key West buyers of vacation homes supplant fordable housing, and more in de-
vice or hourly workers in Key West. are looking for vacation homes. This permanent residents, the demo- velopment, but with high demand,
Rents are also perilously high. The ma- further squeezes the housing market graphic makeup of the island has there’s a wait. McGee says she’s been
jority of renters are classified as over- shifted. United States Census data on a waiting list for about a year.
burdened, spending more than a third from 2000 shows that 8.3 percent of
of their paychecks on rent. the city’s housing units were vacant The cost of living in the Keys is likely
for seasonal use only. In 2010, that to continue to rise with the changing cli-
That financial challenge is putting number rose to 13.7 percent. mate. By midcentury, about 2,300 Lower
the squeeze on the city’s workforce. Keys homes could start to see high-tide
Some hotel workers are provided related property damage, according to
living quarters, but many of the ca- calculations published by Florida Inter-
shiers, waiters, and parking atten- national University researchers in 2011.
dants who keep the vibrant tourist By the end of the century that figure
economy going in Key West struggle could triple.
to find affordable housing. Teachers,
police officers, firefighters, and oth- To compound the economics,
ers in the community also struggle FEMA is set to release a draft of new
to make ends meet, creating staffing flood maps for the area later this year.
challenges. The revision will be based on updated
elevation data, recent storm data, and
Some people filling those gaps com- improved modeling technology. FEMA
mute from other parts of the Keys or does not include sea-level projections
even make the three-hour-plus drive in its mapping, but recent storm in-
from the mainland. In 2016, about 38 tensification and sea-level increases
percent of firefighters throughout the will likely be incorporated.
Keys lived on the mainland.
The new maps are expected to re-
Hurricanes further threaten the ten-
Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 43
INSIGHT COVER STORY
zone many properties to lower base say that it’s happening slowly enough of living and affordability issues,” Hig- very self-sufficient,” says Mayor John-
flood elevations, increasing flood that there’s still time to adapt. gins says. “We just have the extra layer ston. “We’re a very independent, har-
insurance costs and requiring new on top.” dy lot. We rally around each other, we
buildings to be elevated even more It remains to be seen what the true take care of each other, we make sure
than current codes. cost of adaptation will turn out to be But the culture in Key West could everybody’s OK. And that’s how we
long term. also add an extra layer of resiliency for make it. You’ve got to be that kind of
Sea-level rise may already be hap- the community. person to fit in here, too.”
pening in Key West, but city officials “Even with no climate change is-
sues, we would still have higher cost “Being at the end of the earth, we’re
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46 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
INSIGHT OPINION
Research into how to stop the aging process may someday pay off
The Food and Drug Administration warned last A clinical trial underway at Stanford University tests it’s not hard to imagine the response: the demonstra-
week that the growing business of selling plasma in- whether injections of plasma from the young can tions, the investigations, the demands. Protesters will
jections to fight the effects of aging “has no proven help those suffering from Alzheimer’s. ask why only the rich should have access to these
clinical benefit.” doubtlessly expensive life-extending technologies. It’s
Often the research raises hackles. Nectome was an one thing to let the wealthy have much bigger houses.
Within hours, one of the leading providers of such M.I.T.-linked startup that got big press early last year It’s something else to let them have much longer lives.
services, the startup Ambrosia, announced that it had for its ambitious plan to pump embalming fluid into
“ceased patient treatments.” the arteries of the dying to preserve body and brain And after that? Maybe a ban, which are popular
until future scientists can upload the mind. Although nowadays. But a ban will do no good because the bil-
Nevertheless, one wonders whether all of this is plenty of people joined the waiting list at $10,000 a lionaires will buy an island somewhere and declare
Canute commanding the tide. The business of sell- pop, controversy followed once critics pointed out it independent, or create one of those long-rumored
ing youth to the aging is as old as history, and is like- that the technology was necessarily fatal. floating libertarian paradises.
ly never to stop. People don’t want to die. They don’t
even want to age. “Startup wants to upload your brain to the cloud, but More likely there will be a rush of litigation and
has to kill you to do it,” warned the Guardian. Massa- legislation, insisting on equal access to whatever the
The global market for anti-aging products is ex- chusetts Institute of Technology swiftly disassociated winning technology may be. Governments will swift-
pected to exceed $330 billion by 2021, according to itself from the company, which hastily proclaimed that ly agree, and one country after another will plunge
one estimate. Says Peter Diamandis, the physician it was too early to do anything but research. down the rabbit hole.
and entrepreneur who founded the X Prize Founda-
tion: “Adding 20 to 30 healthy years on a person’s life is The tendency nowadays is to mock such technol- Certainly there will be those who preach that we
likely to be the largest market opportunity on Earth.” ogies as the silly playthings of the worried wealthy. should forget the billionaires and let them have
their fun, while the rest of us pursue normal lives,
Fear of aging isn’t the same as fear of dying. Lots of But a tiny probability isn’t a zero probability, and governed by normal lifespans. But such reaction-
people just want to avoid winding up like the struld- one can imagine a day when some subset of these ary counsels will be overwhelmed in the end by the
brug of Luggnagg, who in Jonathan Swift’s telling technologies turns out to work. Maybe conscious- egalitarian ethos. So governments would search for
lived forever but continued to age. ness will at last be uploadable. Maybe injections a way to make the benefits available to all.
of nanites will at last rejuvenate aging cells. Maybe
The point is to stop aging itself in its tracks, to “The Change” will come. Some worry that this “posthuman” future would
avoid entirely the period when the hitherto reliable spell the end of history. There will never be enough
body performs with decreasing efficiency all the If it does, it’s unlikely most people will be able to resources to preserve our own lives forever while
wonderful tasks through which it once zipped with- afford it.And in an age when an entire political move- also providing a world for our grandchildren. If our
out complaint. And people are willing to pay a lot to ment seems founded on resenting multi-millionaires, fears drive us in this direction, we may wind up as
stay young, even when the science seems shaky. the last generation.
Again, consider Ambrosia. Critics initially met the The drive to reproduce is itself a kind of drive for im-
company’s claims with skepticism, and Technology mortality. If our lifespans grow long, we may stop hav-
Review called the underlying science “intriguing ing children. Longer-lived species tend to have lower
if inconclusive,” but Ambrosia was able to charge fertility (though it isn’t clear why). Certainly there will
between $8,000 and $12,000 to patients who hoped be less biological pressure to replace ourselves.
that being injected with plasma from the young
would help them fight off the indignities of aging. And it will be hard for the blood of the young to
keep us young if there are no young.
Plenty of others have piled into the field. A startup
called Celularity (spun out from Celegene) has at- Oh, well – surely this is all just sci-fi claptrap. Noth-
tracted some $250 million from A-list tech investors ing to worry about in the real world. Because science
for its research that would use stem cells to battle ag- never surprises us, and new innovations never revo-
ing. The startup Juvenescence is promising to break lutionize our understanding of life. Right?
through the 120-year longevity barrier.
A version of this column by Yale Law professor Ste-
And whatever may be Ambrosia’s ultimate fate, re- phen L. Carter first appeared on Bloomberg. It does
search about the effect of new blood will continue. not necessarily reflect the views of Vero Beach 32963.
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION penis and pain, with or without an erection. TREATMENT OPTIONS © 2019 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The incidence of this problem, which affects FOR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
Part II about 10 percent of men, increases with age.
Peyronie’s disease can be treated with medi- Three types of physicians treat erectile dysfunc-
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem. cation or through different types of surgery, tion: General practice/family doctors can pre-
Risk factors include age (being older), certain one of which is a penile implant. scribe medical treatment options; urologists
diseases or conditions, medications, emotional Last time we discussed how doctors diagnose focus on medical and surgical treatments; and
or psychological issues and lifestyle behaviors erectile dysfunction. prosthetic urologists, urologists with special
such as smoking or being overweight. The top training in ED, can offer penile implant surgery.
three physical causes of ED are vascular disease, OTHER TESTS TO HELP DIAGNOSE ED Treatment options for erectile dysfunction in-
diabetes and side effects from medication. clude oral medications, vacuum erection de-
Nocturnal erection test vices, urethral suppositories, injections and
LOW TESTOSTERONE A man normally has three to five erections penile implants.
each night during sleep. This nighttime erec- Oral medications
One of the causes of ED is low testosterone. tion test is performed at home or in a spe- Oral medications called PDE-5 inhibitors
About four in 10 men over the age of 45 have cial sleep lab. If results show you have erec- increase blood flow to the penis to improve
low testosterone with incidence increasing with tions during the night, that’s an indication a man’s ability to have and maintain an
age. More common in men who are obese and/ you do not have a physical problem – it is erection until intercourse is satisfactorily
or have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood probably a psychological or emotional completed. Typically working for about four
pressure, treatments include testosterone gels, problem. hours, the medication should not be taken
patches, oral medication and injections. Injection test more than once a day. While effective initially
During an injection test, which is also called in approximately 50 to 85 percent of cases,
PEYRONIE’S DISEASE intracavernosal injection, medicine is injected 50 percent of these men report the medica-
into the penis to cause an erection. Some- tion stops working or they discontinue using
Another cause of ED is Peyronie’s disease, times the medicine is inserted into the ure- it for other reasons over time.
a connective tissue disorder that involves thra instead. The test checks to see how full
growth of fibrous plaques in the soft tissue of the penis becomes and how long the erec- —To be continued—
the penis. Scar tissue (plaques) can be felt un- tion lasts. This test is usually done in the
der the skin of the penis and the penis may doctor’s office. Your comments and suggestions for future topics are al-
curve upward, downward or bend to one side. ways welcome. Email us at [email protected].
It can cause narrowing and shortening of the
48 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
INSIGHT BOOKS
A few years ago, National Geographic magazine ry’s two closest for just one night in a warm bed.
compiled a list of the 100 greatest works of nonfic- friends, Wilson and The real ordeal, however, had only
tion adventure. Ranked No. 1 – it could really be no H.R. Bowers, pushed
other place – was “The Worst Journey in the World,” on a bit farther until, begun. The men constructed a hut
Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s memoir of the 1910-1913 exhausted and weak next to their tent, just before a three-
Terra Nova expedition to Antarctica under the lead- from hunger, they day blizzard struck. Its ferocious
ership of Robert Falcon Scott. pitched their tent for winds first blew away the tent and
the last time just 11 then shredded the hut’s canvas roof.
Eager to plant the English flag at the South Pole, miles from the depot Exposed to the elements, Cherry and
8,000 men applied to join Scott’s expedition, with where Cherry waited his companions burrowed into their
just 33 chosen for the actual land contingent. Partly with the supplies that sleeping bags, as the snow piled up
through friendship with chief scientist Edward Wil- would have saved
son, the 24-year-old Cherry-Garrard was taken on as them. He couldn’t on top of them. All three knew that
“an adaptable helper,” though he had no experience have known that Scott without a tent it would be almost
of polar exploration and was extremely nearsight- and the others were impossible to survive. I won’t say
ed. Nonetheless, “Cherry,” as he was called, would so close, but in years more, but, against all odds, they
end up sledging more than anyone else, some 3,000 to come he would suf- do survive and even bring back
miles. fer unassuageable re- three emperor eggs. As they finally
morse for not having left reached safety, Wilson thanked
At times he and his comrades endured what few his post and gone out Bowers and Cherry for what they
of us can imagine: temperatures close to 70 degrees searching for them.
below zero and hurricane-force winds; sleeping had all suffered through, adding,
bags and clothes frozen into solid blocks; a diet con- In 1922, a full decade “I couldn’t have found two better
sisting mainly of biscuits, seal meat and penguin; later, Cherry brought out companions – and what is more I
constant fatigue. At one point, extraordinary cold “The Worst Journey in the World,” weaving in nu- never shall.”
made Cherry’s teeth crack. Literally. If you inad- merous extracts from his friends’ letters and diaries. Cherry merely says, “I am proud of that.” A
vertently touched a piece of metal without wearing Surprisingly, though, his book’s title doesn’t actually few months later, Scott enlisted Wilson and Bowers
gloves, your hands immediately developed frostbite refer to Scott’s ill-fated return from the pole but to an for the final assault on the pole. Till the last moment,
blisters. Sled dogs fell into crevasses and Mongolian earlier expedition, one with a happier ending. it had been a toss-up whether Oates or Cherry would
ponies, trapped on floes of broken ice, had to be be the fifth member of the team.
killed with a pickax to spare them the agony of be- On his first visit to Antarctica in 1901-1904, Wilson “The Worst Journey in the World” is a celebration
ing eaten alive by killer whales. had discovered that Cape Crozier provided a rookery of character, a memorial to the quietly competent,
for emperor penguins. Because of the birds’ mating utterly admirable men for whom “the expedition
Worse still, good men died. habits, the only time to acquire their eggs – which came first, and the individual nowhere.” They were,
Who doesn’t know the story? Late in 1911 Scott Wilson believed might supply important evolution- as Cherry shows us again and again, the kind of com-
and four companions made a final push for the pole, ary information – was during the unending dark of a rades with whom you would happily trust your life.
only to discover that the Norwegian Roald Amund- polar winter (our summer). An extended trek at that After returning to England, Apsley Cherry-Garrard
sen had reached it a month before. On the journey season had never been attempted. Cherry dryly re- served in World War I, married and lived to be 73,
back, the weather grew extreme and nothing went marks. “I advise explorers to be content with imagin- dying in 1959. Still, little in those subsequent years
right. Edgar Evans died near the Beardmore Glacier. ing it in the future.” seemed to matter much to him compared with the
Soon afterward, Capt. Lawrence Oates found him- joys and sorrows, the sheer intensity, of the experi-
self limping painfully because of an old Boer War On June 27, 1911, Wilson, Bowers and Cherry left ences chronicled in “The Worst Journey in the World.”
injury, exacerbated by scurvy. Realizing that his rap- their base camp, dragging two nine-foot-long sledges He never wrote another book.
idly deteriorating condition was endangering the loaded with 757 pounds of supplies and equipment.
lives of his comrades, Oates simply left the tent one They would be gone for five weeks. Much of the time THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD
morning and hobbled away into a blizzard. His last they could barely see the ground at their feet. One
words still bring me – and many others – to tears: “I day they managed to travel only 1½ miles. By the ANTARCTIC 1910-1913
am just going outside and may be some time.” time the trio reached the penguin rookery, Cherry
Alas, his sacrifice came too late. Scott and Cher- writes that he would have given five years of his life BY APSLEY CHERRY-GARRARD | 640 PP. $18
REVIEW BY MICHAEL DIRDA, THE WASHINGTON POST
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INSIGHT BOOKS
Alfred Stieglitz was the and when the so- Correspondence among them is Burke’s primary
most famous photographer source, and his letters are guarded. Flamboyant,
in America, and a force- cializing made that self-dramatizing Stieglitz is the most vivid personal-
ful advocate for advanced ity, though increasingly unsympathetic as he seeks
art of all kinds, when a ner- an insufficient ref- to retain O’Keeffe in his smothering embrace. His
vous 25-year-old Paul Strand hysterical reaction to her months-long stay with
brought his photographs to uge, she left town Salsbury in New Mexico in 1929 marked a turning
Stieglitz’s influential Manhat- point.
tan gallery at 291 Fifth Ave. in altogether.
1915. The work gained Strand Although Burke dismisses speculation that the
a favored position among the Burke depicts women had an affair, they certainly grew closer as
acolytes dedicated to the older they explored new horizons without their husbands.
artist’s mission of “offering new with intelligent Salsbury finally found her métier in oil painting on
ways to see the world.” glass, as well as a group of local friends who ap-
nuance the evolu- preciated her as more than a helpmeet. O’Keeffe
The Stieglitz-Strand connec- discovered the landscape she would paint for the
tion was the first in the tangled tion of the cou- rest of her life, which prompted long periods away
weave of personal and profes- from Stieglitz. Both men felt threatened. Strand
sional ambitions anatomized ple’s intertwined wrote coldly that Salsbury was “wasting her time.”
in “Foursome,” Carolyn Burke’s Stieglitz embarked on a manic, 18-hour tirade that
sharp-eyed group portrait of two personal and pro- prompted Strand to write to O’Keeffe, “Never have I
artistic couples. seen such suffering.”
fessional connec-
The year after Strand arrived, Matters were smoothed over for a few more years,
Georgia O’Keeffe dispatched a tion. Their pow- until in 1932 Stieglitz gave Strand and Salsbury a
roll of her charcoal sketches to joint exhibit with such obvious disinterest (no cata-
291, inspired by the gallery’s ex- erful sexual bond logue, no publicity) that Strand angrily turned in his
alted atmosphere. Her swirling keys to the gallery. Salsbury, ever placatory, contin-
expressions of “a woman’s feeling” grew from Stieg- ued to write to Stieglitz even after the Strands’ di-
so overwhelmed Stieglitz that he vorce in 1933, and she and O’Keeffe kept in touch.
put them on display without tell- litz’s inflamed But what she remembered as “the warmth and un-
ing the artist. When she stormed in to complain, it derstanding of the ‘old days’” was gone.
launched a charged relationship in which O’Keeffe response to
played multiple roles as Stieglitz’s protegee, muse, Burke’s coolly detached chronicle of those years
lover and – reluctantly, in 1924 – wife. O’Keeffe’s work prompts the thought that a lot of this warmth came
from the overheated rhetoric of the early 20th-
Rebecca Salsbury, who married Strand in 1922, as the embodi- century avant-garde, and that “understanding”
completed the quartet. Accompanying Strand to an depended on the visionary Stieglitz receiving the
exhibit of Stieglitz’s scandalously intimate portraits ment of a new, total, unquestioning support of everyone around
of O’Keeffe, Salsbury saw “the kind of woman [she] him. Volatile and needy though he was, Stieglitz set
hoped to become,” uninhibited and free. Vaguely distinctively O’Keeffe, Strand and Salsbury on individual paths
“artistic” without knowing which particular art she toward artistic fulfillment. Burke must have noticed
might want to practice, she made a place for herself female artis- the irony that these paths led away from him, but
in the group as ever-helpful “Beck,” typing manu- she does not comment on it. She’s not interested in
scripts and organizing files while earnestly striving tic sensibility, making grand statements, preferring to focus her
to develop the “creative seeing” Stieglitz patroniz- sharp analytical skills on explicating in rich detail
ingly claimed she lacked. Although Burke’s treat- and he made it the complex interactions among four vibrant peo-
ment of her four subjects is deliberately dispas- ple during a seminal era in American culture – a task
sionate, she does seem to empathize with Salsbury, his business to she accomplishes in astute, lucid prose.
insecure about her abilities and desperate for re-
spect as an artist. support that FOURSOME
O’Keeffe, by contrast, would not be distracted work. He gave ALFRED STIEGLITZ, GEORGIA O’KEEFFE,
from her drive to paint. Stieglitz liked to fill their
homes with admirers and never seemed to need to her frequent shows at PAUL STRAND, REBECCA SALSBURY
be alone. O’Keeffe did: She firmly designated for
herself a studio Stieglitz assumed they would share, his various galleries and he made sure that critics BY CAROLYN BURKE | 432 PP. $30
REVIEW BY WENDY SMITH, THE WASHINGTON POST
paid attention.
O’Keeffe knew she owed her sales and glowing re-
views in large part to Stieglitz’s shrewd promotion.
But she grew annoyed by the relentless critical focus
on even her most abstract paintings as “the world
as it is known to woman,” especially when Stieglitz’s
nude photos of her were seen as evidence of his
“love of the world.”
Burke eschews feminist outrage, preferring to
quote examples of oblivious sexism with no com-
mentary beyond such dry asides as, “One won-
ders what Beck thought.” She shows Salsbury and
O’Keeffe determinedly navigating a male-dominat-
ed world with the tools at their disposal. Salsbury
cultivated a flirtatious relationship with Stieglitz as
part of her campaign to persuade the competitive
older photographer to give her husband another
show. During the decade of the two couples’ greatest
intimacy, Stieglitz’s and Strand’s views on photogra-
phy were diverging; Burke traces Strand’s growing
interest in more objective, impersonal work, while
Stieglitz continued to view photography as an act of
personal revelation, “perhaps even a philosophy.”
Strand is the most enigmatic of the foursome.
50 Vero Beach 32963 / March 7, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
INSIGHT ST. EDWARD’S
Three sports have been a charm for St. Ed’s senior
BY RON HOLUB
Correspondent
Senior Lauren Savage told us that one sport athlete since intramurals and the Mohr – she was Coach Pancotti at the PHOTO BY KAILA JONES
of her fondest memories playing sports younger grades,” Savage explained. “In time - asked me why I wasn’t at practice.
at St. Ed’s was her introduction to high high school I’ve been taking it more se- I told her I wasn’t planning on playing up high school with my favorite sport
school lacrosse, “when I was fortunate riously. I was able to do volleyball when that year, and she said that’s not an op- will be sad but sweet.
enough to be called up to the varsity in school started, soccer in the middle, tion – I will see you today at 3:45.
eighth grade, and having the seniors and finish with lacrosse every year. “I guess the last couple of years have
gather around the nervous eighth- “Having another person to push me been more about taking on a leadership
graders and telling us that everything “This year I managed to fit in cheer- like that was a great position to be put role. It is exciting to be a senior and help
was going to be OK.” leading, a senior tradition, so that’s in. We had a lot of amazing girls on the younger girls figure out what high
four sports in one year. It’s really been the team and we were district champs school lacrosse is all about. This is now
“Trust us, we get it,” went the guid- awesome. Playing sports throughout my sophomore year. The next year their big moment.”
ance from those in the know. “Your first the school year gave me more struc- we tried really hard but we didn’t get
year is a big deal and we are here to help ture to my day and many more people there. While we didn’t win, we worked With 10 goals and six assists through
everyone out. We know this is a big mo- to interact with. hard for it, and it was well worth every- four games, Savage clearly has a few big
ment for you.” thing we put into it.” moments left to demonstrate.
“Volleyball was something that I
Savage took that message and ran wanted to play since I was very young. I So we asked if it was a case of the Her family has deep roots at St. Ed’s
with it through a full range of athletic always thought it was a lot of fun and a journey over the destination, and she and has added value in no small mea-
activities over the next four years. Tak- good way to stay active with a lot of my said “the destination is pretty nice, but sure to the mission the school promotes.
ing it one step further, it isn’t too much friends, especially because it was their it’s OK if you don’t always get there.” The
of a stretch to consider that the helping main sport. It was a great thing to do af- final chapter for Savage in St. Ed’s sports “My family has hosted exchange stu-
hand contributed to her choice of a ca- ter school with all of them. is playing out right now, and she is em- dents since I was in middle school. This
reer path in college. bracing the script. is the seventh student living with us
“I did not sign up for soccer as a fresh- right now. So if I had to pick a defining
“I will hear from the University of Mi- man because I thought it would be nice “I love playing lacrosse,” she said. “I event that I’m going to remember for-
ami in early April, but I will most likely to take a few weeks off. But I had played started playing when I was really young, ever, it is having people from other cul-
decide between Florida State University goalie in middle school and Coach probably in the lower school. To finish tures halfway around the world come to
and the University of Tampa,” Savage live with our family.
said. “I’m planning to go into nursing.
I’ve always loved the sciences and ev- “It breaks your heart when they go
erything in that field. I love English, too. back home.”
Math and I don’t get along all the time,
but that’s OK. I’m not always the most
dedicated reader, but when I do get into
books or literature, I can genuinely be
taken away for hours. So I love more of a
science and English route.”
That academic synopsis can also
be applied in theory to her relation-
ship with sports. Try a few things and
see what works. A recurring theme
with seniors is a recognition and ac-
ceptance of the term limits associated
with high school sports – and how a
person can evolve from raw fledgling
to confident leader over the course of
a few seasons.
“I was really fortunate to be a three-