12/31/2020 ISSUE 53

Ocean Drive weekend activities
on comeback trail. P6
My Vero: A wish

for the coming year. P12

Take a bow! Operation Hope
donates ‘more toys than ever.’ P17

For breaking news visit

2020:The Year of Living Pandemically Pharmacies await
vaccine shipments
so shots can begin

BY GEORGE ANDREASSI
Staff Writer

As Cleveland Clinic Indian
River Hospital, the state Health
Department and major phar-
macies ramp up COVID-19
vaccination programs, Corey’s
Pharmacy and its island cus-
tomers anxiously await their
turn.

“Most patients who con-
tact us are looking for it and
they want it immediately,” said
Mark Frankenberger, owner of
Corey’s Pharmacy, 2912 Ocean
Drive. “I would take a dose im-
mediately, if I could get one,
just to build up immunity.”

Corey’s Pharmacy enrolled
in the state Health Depart-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Deputy was facing
suspension when
he shot doc’s wife

BY MICHELLE GENZ Wuhan, a huge city most of us emergency. By mid-February, PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES AND BRENDA AHEARN BY RAY MCNULTY
Staff Writer had never heard of in China. the disease – a novel corona- Staff Writer
Had something to do, we were virus – had an official name: firmed cases than any other
It developed with breath- told, with a fish market, or COVID-19. Before another 30 country in the world. But still, Seven weeks before he re-
taking rapidity. with bats. days passed, WHO was declar- the coronavirus wasn’t here in sponded to an attempted-
ing COVID-19 a pandemic. Indian River County. Or was it? suicide call and fatally shot a
Last New Year’s Eve, all we Just a month later, the World Vero Beach doctor’s wife in her
knew was that a pneumonia- Health Organization was de- By the end of March, the In fact, it may have arrived home, the same sheriff’s deputy
like illness had broken out in claring a global public-health United States had more con- in February, north of Sebas- was involved in an arrest for
tian on the campus of a fam- which he was later suspended
for using excessive force that re-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 sulted in a suspect’s concussion.

The suspension, however,
wasn’t imposed on Deputy Jon-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

December 31, 2020 Volume 13, Issue 53 Newsstand Price $1.00 Holidays at McKee:
Nothing but lots of
News 1-12 Games 33-35 Pets 60 TO ADVERTISE CALL good cheer here. P20
Arts 39-42 Health 43-47 Real Estate 61-72 772-559-4187
Books 32 Insight 25-38 Style 49-51
Dining 52-57 People 13-24 Wine 53 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 30 CALL 772-226-7925

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

2 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Deputy who shot doc’s wife the investigation was concluded. disciplined for violating agency policy,  Disciplined by his supervisor and
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Todd Norbraten, an attorney with documented in a deposition given by
Lt. Justin Knott of the Sheriff’s Office’s issued another “letter of counseling”
athan Lozada until the Sheriff’s Office the Stuart-based Rubin & Rubin law Internal Affairs Division. for failing to secure a crime scene in
completed an in-house investigation of firm, said Lozada would not have been 2016.
the earlier incident – three months after on duty the night the Teel family called According to Knott’s deposition, Lo-
the highly publicized shooting of Susan 911 for help if Sheriff Deryl Loar had zada had been:  Issued a “letter of reprimand” and
Teel. “taken the appropriate steps” after the
deputy used excessive force to subdue  Disciplined for a 2013 crash that suspended from his position as a Field
The attorneys representing Dr. an uncooperative suspect during a Training Officer for three months in
Dudley Teel, who has filed a $10 mil- traffic stop in June 2017. Sheriff’s Office investigators deter- 2016 for the manner in which he doc-
lion wrongful death lawsuit against mined to be “avoidable.” umented injuries to a suspect when
the Sheriff’s Office and Lozada, say “That deputy shouldn’t have been completing a supplemental response-
the deputy should have been placed working the streets at that time,” Nor-  Suspended for eight hours for “in- to-resistance report.
on administrative leave, or at least braten said. “But for their inaction,
removed from road-patrol duty, until he’s not there that night.” attention to procedures” during a ve-  Suspended for 16 hours, issued a
hicular pursuit in 2015.
Norbraten bolstered his argument letter of reprimand and removed as a
by citing the deputy’s history of being  Issued a “letter of counseling” and Field Training Officer for his “inatten-
tion to duties” and other actions dur-
required to undergo four hours of re- ing a vehicular pursuit that originated
medial training after another “avoid- in Brevard County in May 2017.
able” crash in 2016.
“Deputy Lozada neglected to dem-
onstrate his knowledge of Indian River
County Sheriff’s Office policies and
procedures, and also failed to adhere to
standard operating procedures, policies
and directions of his assigned position,”
an administrative review report stated.

Less than a month later, Lozada found
himself under investigation again – this
time for “excessive use of force” against
a suspect in the parking lot of the Wawa
convenience store and gas station at the
intersection of U.S. 1 and 12th Street in
Vero Beach.

Lozada wrote in his report on the
June 8, 2017 incident that he was on
patrol and cruising through the Wawa
parking lot shortly after midnight,
when a man left the store, got into his
vehicle and quickly backed out, nearly
hitting the deputy’s patrol car.

According to the report, Lozada
stopped the driver – later identified as
Luciano Paternoster of Vero Beach – at
the gas pumps and noticed a “strong
odor of an alcoholic beverage” on the
man’s breath and that he spoke with
“slurred speech.” He also detected the
“odor of marijuana” inside the car.

Paternoster, who denied that he had
been drinking, refused to take a road-
side sobriety test or even exit his car,
prompting Lozada to pull him out of
the vehicle and arrest him.

The report states Paternoster con-
tinued to physically resist and ignore
the deputy’s verbal commands – be-
havior that persisted when a second
deputy arrived and attempted to help
Lozada handcuff the suspect, pinning
him against the car and, eventually,
forcing him to the ground.

Lozada wrote that the right side of
Paternoster’s head “hit the concrete
ground” and that the suspect “imme-
diately lost consciousness,” suffering
a cut on his eyebrow and a bruise on
his cheek.

Paternoster, who was 22 at the
time, was transported by ambulance
to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hos-
pital, where he was diagnosed with a
concussion. After being discharged,
he was arrested and charged with four
drug-related offenses, DUI, resisting

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 3

HAPPY NEW YEAR

arrest without violence and driving an Appeals, where a three-judge panel issued Guy Rubin, the lead attorney in Teel’s “Was that the right decision for the
unregistered vehicle. a strongly worded, 22-page opinion rein- case, said Lozada’s law-enforcement community?” Norbraten said. “It takes a
stating the lawsuit and describing Lozada’s training was insufficient to handle the certain type of person to be a police of-
Lozada, along with two other dep- lethal actions as “wholly unnecessary.” situation. ficer. Not everyone can do it.”
uties who provided backup at the
Wawa, told Sheriff’s Office investiga- Court records revealed that Lozada During his deposition, internal af- The Teel case is scheduled to go to
tors Paternoster never attempted to stated under oath Susan Teel was 6 to fairs lieutenant Knott said the decision trial April 20, but federal law requires
hit them or even verbally threaten 10 feet away and moving toward him as to whether Lozada should’ve been the parties to attempt to resolve their
them – testimony that contributed to slowly when he fired, providing ample allowed to continue his road-patrol issues through mediation first. Nor-
Sheriff’s Lt. William Luther, the lead opportunity for the deputy to retreat duties after the Wawa incident was left braten said he expects a mediator to
investigator in the case, finding that beyond the woman’s reach. to the sheriff’s discretion.
Lozada used excessive force. be selected in January. 

Another factor in that decision was
Lozada’s emotions during the incident.

Luther stated in his report Lozada
had a “heightened level of frustration
prior to making contact with the driv-
er,” which prompted actions that “did
not constitute a justified response” to
Paternoster’s level of resistance.

Of particular concern to Norbraten,
whose firm is representing Paternoster
and has notified the Sheriff’s Office of his
client’s intent to file a lawsuit, was Lo-
zada’s decision to turn off his body-worn
audio microphone during the incident.

Lozada told investigators that he
turned off the microphone “because I
needed to kind of gather myself back
together,” which Norbraten said raises
questions about the deputy’s emotional
and psychological fitness for police work.

“He seems to have issues handling
high-pressure situations,” Norbraten
said. “I’m not sure you want him first on
the scene of an attempted suicide if he
can’t handle high-pressure situations.”

Lozada eventually was suspended
for 40 hours for injuring Paternoster
at Wawa – but not until after he killed
Susan Tell.

The Teel shooting occurred seven
weeks later, after 8 p.m. on July 26, 2017
at the Teel family’s Carriage Lake home,
where Susan Teel had attempted to
commit suicide by slashing her wrists.

Lozada responded to the 911 call
and, after speaking briefly with Dr. Teel,
pulled his gun as he climbed the stairs
and confronted the petite, 62-year-old
woman in a second-floor bedroom.

The initial Sheriff’s Office report stat-
ed Susan Teel, believed to have been
under the influence of alcohol, was
holding a knife and taunting the deputy
before she “lunged” at him. That’s when
Lozada pulled the trigger repeatedly,
shooting the woman three times in the
chest, according to the report.

“The deputy did exactly what he was
trained to do” in a potentially deadly
confrontation, Loar said in a next-day
news conference in which he defend-
ed his deputy’s actions.

In January 2018, a grand jury declined
to indict Lozada on criminal charges.
Eight months later, however, Dr. Teel
filed his lawsuit, which produced testi-
mony that told a different story.

After U.S. District Court Judge Donald
Middlebrooks initially tossed the case,
saying the shooting was justified, Teel ap-
pealed to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of

4 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Corey’s Pharmacy Clinic Florida said in a prepared state- an for the state Health Department of- doses, facilities or timing in each individ-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ment. fice in Indian River County. ual city or state,” Burke said on Dec. 23.

ment’s vaccination program so it would Since then, the hospital has received “As more doses become available, CVS will be administering the Pfizer
be ready to serve patients as soon they a shipment of Moderna vaccine, as county Health Departments will work vaccine in Florida, Burke said.
qualify for vaccines, Frankenberger well, and started to administer it to with their community partners to pro-
said Monday. caregivers, according to hospital presi- vide vaccines to those 65 and older,” The long-term care facility vaccina-
dent Dr. Greg Rosencrance. Brock said on Dec. 23. tion program is a precursor to the gen-
“Now we’re just waiting to see when eral availability of COVID-19 vaccines
they get it and how they move it along,” “A week after receiving our first doses First responders and essential work- at all CVS pharmacies nationwide, the
Frankenberger said. “That’s unknown at of COVID-19 vaccine, Indian River Hos- ers are not in the first phase of the state company said in a Dec. 21 statement.
this point. We have no idea if that will be pital continues to vaccinate caregiv- vaccination program under DeSantis’
tomorrow, or it will be March or April.” ers according to our phased approach, executive order. CVS will have the capacity to ad-
which emphasized vaccinating patient- minister 20 million to 25 million shots
The first phase of vaccines will go facing caregivers first,” Rosencrance Indian River County Administrator Ja- per month, the statement says.
only to healthcare workers with direct said Monday. son Brown said his team will work with
patient contact, long-term care facil- the state Health Department to vacci- Walgreens is also working with the
ity residents and staffers, seniors age “We are now moving through addi- nate Fire Rescue workers and essential federal government to help adminis-
65 and older, and workers deemed ex- tional phases as vaccine supplies and employees when they become eligible. ter COVID-19 vaccines to healthcare
tremely vulnerable to COVID-19 due demands permit. Providing a vaccine workers and long-term care facility
to interacting with the public, under for our caregivers is an important step “The county does not plan to re- residents and staff in Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Dec. 23 executive in the fight against COVID-19 and we quire vaccines for any employees,”
order. will continue to offer it, as supply al- Brown said Monday. “[But] we will Walgreens anticipates administer-
lows, to every caregiver who desires strongly encourage employees to get ing vaccinations to nearly 3 million
As of Sunday, 609 people in Indian it.” vaccinated when vaccines are avail- residents and staff members at 35,000
River County had received their first able for their work group.” long-term care facilities nationwide, the
dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a state The hospital had vaccinated 550 company said in a Dec. 22 statement.
Health Department report shows. caregivers as of the close of business Vaccinations at long-term care fa-
Monday, Rosencrance said. cilities are being administered by the Walgreens expects vaccines will be
On Dec. 21, Cleveland Clinic Indi- facilities and providers, such as CVS available for the general public at its
an River Hospital began administer- County Health Departments will be- and Walgreens, Brown said. 9,000 stores nationwide by the spring,
ing Pfizer’s vaccine to caregivers who gin vaccinating people age 65 and up the company website says. The vaccine
could come in contact with patients once shipments start coming in. A CVS spokeswoman, Tara Burke, will be available at no cost to recipients.
being treated for the virus, Cleveland said it will take an estimated 12 weeks
“Currently, Indian River County has to vaccinate 358,000 long-term care “You'll hear from your local health
not received any doses of either vac- patients at 3,300 facilities in Florida. official or employer directly if you’re
cine,” said Stacy Brock, a spokeswom- eligible for a vaccine,” Walgreens’ web-
“We don’t break out the number of
site says. 

Year of Living Pandemically not be identified. “We just don’t want said, despite her family’s fears. Within times in our lifetime,” said Dr. Gerald
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to have to relive this all.” weeks, she had the virus. She was hos- Pierone, an infectious diseases spe-
pitalized three weeks before she died. cialist who has shepherded patients
ily-run Christian mission that sprawls Ten months after a member of in Vero, Fort Pierce and Melbourne
across sandy acreage that has eluded the deceased pastor’s family was Even as some essential workers through another viral pandemic –
developers for decades. knocked off his feet by a then myste- braved COVID-19 for minimum wage, HIV/AIDS.
rious infection, the novel coronavirus sales of multimillion-dollar homes on
That possible early case last Febru- is still defying disinfectants and hand the barrier island were brisk, as refu- Perhaps the biggest missed opportu-
ary never made it into state records of washing timed to the Happy Birthday gees from New York City, California nity at limiting the spread of COVID-19
COVID-19 cases. But a later positive song. and other areas hit hard by the virus was the early disagreement among
test for virus antibodies almost cer- zeroed in on Vero as a better, safer health professionals over the importance
tainly points to the early, undetected It is still slipping past barriers to our place to live. of wearing face coverings in public.
infection. mouths and noses, swooping into the
air as we sing, sigh or argue, and de- Over the summer, top island brokers On March 1, U.S. Surgeon Gen-
The illness, which hit its middle-age scending in an unseen ambush on the had their best year ever, eclipsing past eral Jerome Adams tweeted a plea for
victim like a ton of bricks, was pre- very people who sustain us – our fami- sales records by as much as 50 per- Americans to stop buying facemasks,
sumed at the time to be a severe case of lies, caregivers and friends. cent, and the booming market contin- saying that they are not effective in
the flu. But it may have been the first ued into the fall and winter – despite a preventing people from catching the
domino to fall in a series of at least six For every death by COVID-19 in the third surge in local infections bringing coronavirus.
COVID-19 cases in the extended fam- county – 160 to date, out of 160,000 thousands more cases
ily that ran the mission, including the residents – there are many people “Seriously people – STOP BUYING
case that ended in death for its be- who, like the pastor’s family, are still “This has been a tremendously MASKS!” Adams wrote.
loved pastor. raw with grief. Others still fight to challenging year for healthcare pro-
quell the anxiety caused by hospital- viders across the country and Cleve- It wasn’t until a month later, on April
That man walked out of the emer- izations, which have occurred in 500 land Clinic Indian River Hospital has 3, the Centers for Disease Control add-
gency room against doctors’ advice in of the 6,200 known cases here. been no exception,” said the hospital’s ed wearing face coverings in public to
April. Gasping for breath, he refused a president, Dr. Greg Rosencrance. its list of guidelines.
COVID-19 test and went home to write That is one case for every 26 Indian
his Easter sermon. River County residents, and one death “While the vaccine provides hope That delay and the high-level dis-
for every 40 positive tests here. for the future, we have more work to agreements gave a segment of the
That message, his third delivered on do as we enter 2021,” he said, and re- population reason to doubt the sci-
video due to the lockdown, would be In the county’s long-term care facili- peated his mantra of the past nine ence behind mask-wearing, and the
his last. ties, 68 residents have died with CO- months – masks, hand washing, sani- doubt about masks has been difficult
VID-19, along with one staff member tizing, social distancing, limited gath- to undo.
When the ailing pastor returned to who succumbed in October. Accord- erings. And he added one more: Get
the hospital the next day, he was im- ing to a coworker, that female staffer the vaccine when it comes your turn. Throughout the summer, lines
mediately put on a ventilator. A month had worked as a housekeeper but re- would snake through government
later, he died. tired due to the risk of COVID-19. “I think the next two months might meetings like krewes at Mardi Gras so
be some of the most challenging that speakers could enter their anti-
His son, who spoke freely about the But the boredom of her quiet life mask tropes and conspiracy theories
family’s anguish in May but asked not sent her back to work, the co-worker into the public record.
to have their story told then, now has
allowed us to write about his family’s
ordeal but asked that the family still

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 5

HAPPY NEW YEAR

They mocked one of the county’s Responding to the loud minority of by the county administrator, but it af- September, Gov. Ron DeSantis banned
two narrow requirements – that masks anti-maskers, the county commission fected only employees of public-facing penalties for non-compliance with local
be worn in government buildings – by rejected a broad indoor mask man- businesses in unincorporated areas, mask orders.
fashioning pointless coverings in flim- date in mid-July. That left Indian River as well as in government facilities and
sy lace and netting, or defiantly let- as the only county in the area not re- public transportation. The penalty for Masks were eventually required in
ting their masks trail like drool guards quiring masks broadly. non-compliance: a $25 fine. schools when social distancing was
along the jawline. not possible, but a group of parents
A limited mask order was put in place Even that little fine soon went away. In
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

A SELECTION OF OUR ULTRA LUXURY

LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES

Please visit our New Sales Ocean Colony Oceanfront Estate
Development Center at: $6.795Million
675 Beachland Boulevard
Brown/Harris/Webb 772.234.5116
772.234.5555 Video | Info: v235864.com

Premierestateproperties.com

Our Unrivaled Global Network

Smugglers Cove Oceanfront $3.1 Million Ocean Ridge Estate $2.425 Million River Club At Carlton $2.195 Million
O’Dare/Boga 772.234.5093 Info: v236990.com O’Dare/Boga 772.234.5093 Info: v235399.com Brown/Harris/Webb 772.234.5116 Info: v232350.com

6 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Year of Living Pandemically Brackett, 57, who was elected mayor since the lockdown in mid-March. fice and told me he tested positive,”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 by his fellow council members after “I had spoken to my dad on Father’s said Wild. Immediately church lead-
winning a second term in the Novem- ers began phoning all the attendees,
have sued to overturn that rule. ber election, made it clear at the meet- Day and he told me they decided they cancelling the next week’s meeting
The cities of Sebastian and Vero ing that he understood the contagion wanted to go back to church,” said and asking members to isolate to see
of the virus: His own parents were Robbie Brackett. if they developed symptoms. Before
Beach followed the county’s lead and battling COVID-19, he said in the tele- long, Wild said, as many as 15 people
declined to pass broad mask man- vised hearing. Joe Wild, a retired county judge who had tested positive for COVID-19.
dates, even though the Vero City is married to Robbie Brackett’s sister, One of them, an older woman, ended
Council brought it up for a vote twice. Subsequently, he tested positive for is an elder at the church. He is “all for up dying of the disease. “It was pretty
COVID-19 in October but was asymp- masks,” believing they are harmless traumatic,” Wild said.
The first Vero Beach council vote tomatic. Despite his and his parent’s and “certainly not an affront to any-
was taken even as council member infections, he has not backed away one’s liberties.” “We are not one of these churches
Rey Neville, who phoned into the from his general philosophy: Respect that say ‘We’re not wearing masks,’”
meeting, announced that he himself the opinions of others. Follow the rules Wild was at the service that night, said Wild. “We wore masks. We had a
had COVID-19. of businesses. But don’t infringe on the as 60 or so church members gathered meeting to discuss how we were going
rights of the individual and don’t im- for the first time since the lockdown. to do it before we even opened again.”
Neville strongly supported a broad pede the economy. All wore masks, and they socially dis-
mandate. But the call was disconnect- tanced by sitting in every other pew. But church leaders did not plan for
ed by the time the vote was taken and “Everyone has different beliefs on spontaneous hugging.
the council deadlocked two to two, this thing. We just need to respect He described a moving scene in
with attorney Joe Graves and now- them, and this thing will work its way which the speaker, whom many hadn’t After the positive tests, the church
Mayor Robbie Brackett voting no. out eventually.” seen through the lockdown, became closed for two weeks. Since it reopened,
emotional. “At the end, a lot of them there have been no problems, Wild
At the second vote at a special call The mayor’s parents, Robert Brack- got up and hugged him,” Wild said. said. But he notes that ironically, there
meeting, a super-majority was re- ett, 86, and Sandra Brackett, 80, were are members who now have doubts
quired. Either Brackett or Graves infected at a meeting at their church, The next day, the man and his wife, about the effectiveness of masks.
needed to vote yes for the measure to Vero Beach Church of Christ, in late who was also at the meeting, woke up
pass. Both voted no. June. It was one of their first outings feeling sick. The husband was able to “In my mind, people were thinking,
get rapid-tested from his employer. ‘We’re all wearing masks, we’re not

“He called me from the doctor’s of-

Farmers Market Oceanside, Art in the Park both on comeback trail

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF From left, Heidi Leone, Pam Proctor and Gretchen Leone gather for a quick chat at the Farmers Market. market but didn’t make purchases.”
Several established vendors haven’t
Staff Writer ket manager Brittany Swartz. “A lot of Market is a community of small busi-
those businesses are only still stand- nesses at the end of the day.” returned to the market, whether out of
Ocean Drive bustled with activity ing because people continued to pur- an abundance of caution over health
in the weeks leading up to Christ- chase through the delivery and pick- While the market has bounced concerns or because they were unable
mas. If you popped over for a bit of up service.” back and is packed many Saturday to stay afloat through the shutdown.
shopping on a weekend morning, mornings, Swartz said foot traffic But Swartz said new vendors have
you more than likely had to circle the Since reopening on Ocean Drive and sales have fluctuated somewhat stepped in to fill empty stalls.
block a time or two to find a parking in June, the market has gradually in these uncertain times. “The traffic
space. returned to nearly pre-COVID size, is up and down. It’s hard to say if that The island’s Sunday art shows are
according to Swartz, with more and has anything to do with COVID or if back, too, with artists and artisans
Last year at this time, most folks more customers returning to the it’s the election year.” once again displaying their wares
would have grumbled under their outdoor venue by Humiston Park to twice monthly along Ocean Drive by
breath about that inconvenience. shop in the sea air. At the annual Christmas market, Humiston Park.
But not this year. for instance, there were people galore,
Folks seem to feel more comfort- but sales were not robust, according Art in the Park Fine Arts & Crafts
This year, parking problems are a able shopping outside, Swartz said. to Swartz. “Despite having tons of Show provides Vero Beach Art Club
welcome sign that things are picking “Our vendors are required to wear foot traffic, vendors said they had a members with a venue to showcase
up, especially for vendors at the week- masks, and we request that shop- slow day. It seemed like more people and sell their work, including paint-
ly Saturday morning Farmers Market pers wear them as well. The Farmers came out to look and experience the ings, sculpture, glasswork, ceramics
Oceanside and the twice monthly Art and jewelry.
in the Park Fine Arts & Crafts Show on
Sundays. The artists returned to the wide
sidewalk by the park in October, ac-
When the Farmers Market shut cording to Joanne Johnson, event co-
down in March, along with much of chair.
the rest of the local economy, ven-
dors adapted and offered pickup ser- “The crowd has been a little less,”
vice at the Riverside Theatre “loop,” Johnson said, “but all the artists have
with customers ordering online and been selling, so they are doing pretty
then driving through to get their pro- good.”
duce.
Public feedback has been positive,
When the theater reopened, the Johnson added. “People were excited
market stopped offering drive- that we were there. It’s a positive step
through pickup and shifted to home in the right direction. We have 25 slots,
delivery, allowing customers to place and in December, we were almost full,
orders on Thursdays for Saturday de- with 22 artists.”
livery – a service that is still available.
Johnson said she expects a full
“We’re grateful to the community slate of artists to be in attendance
for supporting us and keeping the from January through April, the tra-
vendors going,” said Farmers Mar- ditional busy season for the art show

and the Farmers Market. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 7

HAPPY NEW YEAR

engaging in conversation. How did PHOTOS BY BRENDA AHEARN bor on Halloween who turned out to going to watch it and try to make an
this even happen? Is there any point have the virus. He and his wife both intelligent decision. I would definitely
in wearing masks if we still all got in- Vero Beach Mayor Robbie Brackett outside his home. were tested, but only he was positive. encourage people in a high-risk posi-
fected?’ He never had symptoms. tion to take it.
same strategy so many families resort-
“I told them, it’s not just wearing ed to for residents in nursing homes “We are a family that, if one of us gets “The key to this is, we’re not here to
masks, it’s wearing masks and stay- and assisted living facilities. sick, the rest of us rally around them. But stop the virus. We’re here to manage
ing six feet apart. There are all kinds once it’s gone, it’s gone. We don’t dwell the numbers, and manage the deaths,”
of scenarios, but what we tell people “They did what the doctor told them on what happened. We know that’s just Brackett said. “You just have to keep
is stay apart. You have one vulnerable to do. They monitored their blood oxy- life. That’s reality. We’re realists.” doing the right thing at the city level. By
person with a breathing disorder, and gen level and checked their fever two the same token, we’re very much aware
that’s it.” or three times a day,” said Brackett. Today, the Brackett clan would have from an economic standpoint that we
“If they got really tired, or had a hard a hard time rallying around a family don’t want to impose any restrictions
Robbie Brackett’s parents – Wild’s time breathing, they were supposed to member in the hospital, all of them that keep people from earning a living.
in-laws – are active and sociable. The call an ambulance right away. But they gathering in the waiting room as they We don’t want to close them down.
lockdown was hard for them. But apart never did. It was the two of them there, normally would. Now, most of them
from his mom having an underlying so they were watching each other.” would be stopped at the door, due to “My hat’s off to this community be-
condition, they did not strike him as COVID-19 visitation restrictions. cause they’ve done a good job and
fearful when they caught the virus. Months later, Brackett himself test- made the right decisions. Wash hands,
ed positive after visiting with a neigh- Cleveland Clinic Indian River has not gathering in large places, wearing
“They never indicated they were inaugurated a color-coded guideline masks. We didn’t have to mandate that.”
very nervous about it. They never on its website ranging from yellow, the
overreacted,” Robbie Brackett said. least restricted visitation, to orange to Brackett’s concern for the economy
“We were concerned, obviously, but red to purple, the most restricted visi- is well founded, with businesses strug-
we just took it a day at a time.” tation. gling through lockdown to hold on to
valued employees and stay solvent
While they were ill, the couple iso- The hospital has been a level of red with no customers to serve.
lated together at their home as the since Oct. 21, a spokesman said. When
rest of the family rallied around them the guideline began in mid-August, As revenue dropped and with it
– from a distance. Another son, who all Cleveland Clinic Florida hospitals profits, some generous business own-
lives next door, checked on them regu- were at purple. ers stopped their own salaries to make
larly. Family members brought food to sure their employees had roofs over
the couple, setting up a table outside All along, COVID has been a “mov- their heads.
the back door so they could drop food ing target,” Brackett said before Christ-
off and leave before the parents came mas. Asked whether he would take one CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
out to get it. of the vaccines, he said he was “going
to study more on it.”
Now and then they would stay to
chat through an open window, the “I haven’t had anybody give me a
good reason not to take,” he said. “I’m

8 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Year of Living Pandemically Aux Folles” on March 15, just six days Soon, the Live in the Loop outdoor duction. Schnell spearheaded the col-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 into a scheduled three-week run that dance parties became the default en- laborative coup de theatre in the midst
cost the theater $1.4 million to stage. tertainment on weekends, with a so- of not only a pandemic, but a wildly
It was a wrenching year for Vero’s cially distanced Comedy Zone – yes, wet weekend that warped an impro-
nonprofits, too, with food pantries, During the final show, a reviewer we can laugh with masks – starting up vised shoreline stage, requiring a total
domestic abuse shelters and low-cost noted, the few guests unable to stifle a at the end of May. rebuild in a matter of hours.
clinics overwhelmed with pandemic- clearing of the throat triggered a ripple
generated needs. of adjustments as people nearby shift- Across the street from the theater, That came on top of a production
ed away from them. the grand dame of the local cultural deadline moved up a month in order
The tax-levying Hospital District has scene, the Vero Beach Museum of Art, to get the show broadcast to an ex-
so far provided more than $300,000 in In the lobby, bottles of hand sanitiz- closed its galleries for seven months, ponentially larger audience – on two
supplemental COVID-related aid to er stood alongside abandoned cock- reopening only in October and with South Florida public television sta-
the agencies it funds, most of that re- tails. Patrons lingered a little longer at restrictions. Virtual lectures and films tions.
imbursed through the county’s CARES the restroom sinks. As they left, leaning stood in for the wealth of in-person
Act funding. shoulders against exit doors to avoid programming normally available. And never mind Schnell’s thrice-
high-touch handles, ushers showed weekly commute to south Miami to
“I believe the needs will be great- the way out with a gloved hand. The museum’s upcoming January rehearse the professional company
est in the area of mental health,” said fundraiser, with an Italian theme, will that would perform in Vero, all the
Hospital District board chairwoman Riverside also canceled two upcom- be a hybrid of in-person concert and while hyper-aware of preventing cross-
Marybeth Cunningham. “The full ef- ing shows, “Bakersfield Mist” and “The dinner, or take-out and streaming – contamination of separate COVID-19
fects won’t be felt for another six to 18 Bodyguard.” unless, of course, the numbers worsen bubbles.
months after we’re through with (the and COVID-19 steals another show.
pandemic).” A month later, producing artistic di- For the filming of “Nutcracker on
rector Alan Cornell sent a letter to pa- “You can make a plan today and the Indian River,” Schnell was able to
While they were far down the list trons, telling them they were missed. it’s out the window by 5 o’clock,” said form a pod of dancers from Miami’s
in terms of essential services, the He quoted the late playwright Ter- Adam Schnell, founder and artistic di- Dimensions Dance Theatre. Before re-
county’s celebrated arts organizations rance McNally who died of COVID-19 rector of Ballet Vero Beach, as he pre- hearsals, everyone involved had to test
that kept spirits buoyed through less in late March at his home in Sarasota: pared to screen a condensed filmed negative for COVID-19, and all wore
dreadful times were shuttered as the “Theatre has the ability to change version of his original “Nutcracker by masks during rehearsals. As rapid tests
pandemic took hold. Galleries emp- hearts, and to take us to that secret the Indian River,” performed this year became more available, dancers with
tied, instruments fell silent, actors place where we all live.” not on stage, but literally along the la- symptoms could be screened before
were mute for lack of audiences who goon. returning to rehearsals.
instead binged on Netflix sequestered The line resonates in Vero; it is our
at home. secret place, where no pandemic Last spring, Schnell had to cancel To keep the two groups separated –
should dare to tread. But by summer’s the young company’s live season fina- the Miami pod from the Vero bubble
The curtain fell on Riverside The- end, Riverside announced it was mov- le, scheduled for April, instead releas- – Schnell drove to south Miami and
atre’s elaborate production of “La Cage ing its 2020-21 season to 2021-22, and ing a film version with a “pay as you back every other day so that dancers
the same with its Distinguished Lec- like” admission. Since then, Schnell from Vero didn’t have to rehearse with
ture Series. and ballet master Camilo Rodriguez dancers in Miami, and to avoid staying
have been flying by the seat of their in hotels and potentially picking up the
A Personal Lines Insurance Agency tights. virus there. “I was scared to stop at a
rest stop on the turnpike,” Schnell said.
Call us today at 772.213.3845 Plans were canceled for a New York
Email us at [email protected] company to lead the annual Riverside When it came time to cast the chil-
2801 Ocean Drive Ste 101 Vero Beach, FL 32963 Dance Festival in August, and mas- dren for the show, Schnell relied on
ter classes were taught by local Ballet the same group of students that had
Vero Beach dancers instead. Day-long safely taken classes together all fall,
classes and rehearsals included masks always with masks. Four more danc-
and social distancing, and a showcase ers from the ballet’s outreach program
just for students and a few limited joined at the very end. All were already
guests replaced the usual public per- living together at a homeless shelter.
formances.
One more dancer, Gina Marie Sax-
COVID precautions continued ton, was hired to dance the role of Ma-
through the fall semester as dance stu- rie. When the filming started, the Mi-
dents came to in-person classes at the ami group stayed at Vero’s SpringHill
theater. Kids were dropped off at the Suites, some able to share rooms with
front door, and teachers checked tem- their housemates in Miami.
peratures as they came inside. So far,
their precautions have been effective, As the outdoors portion of filming
Schnell said. got underway, led by filmmaker Lance
Glenn on properties owned by the In-
“We have had zero problems be- dian River Land Trust, crew members
cause we have been strict in our pro- tended not to wear masks unless they
tocols and because of how well, in came within six feet of dancers, and
my opinion, the school system has always when the children were on set.
handled this. If any of those kids had
to quarantine because of school, we Other interior shots were taken in-
expected them to tell us.” side Vero’s historic Hallstrom House
on Old Dixie Hwy. The filmed perfor-
Then came Christmas and the ex- mance has been streaming on the Bal-
pectation of the annual performance let Vero Beach website, where it will be
of “The Nutcracker” that in one form available through Jan. 6.
or another has taken place at Riverside
for a decade. WXEL and WPTV, South Florida’s
two PBS stations, aired the half-hour
There had to be a way. ballet twice on the evening of Dec. 22,
What resulted was an example not fulfilling a lifelong dream for Schnell,
of a Vero plagued, but a Vero soaring who grew up watching arts program-
to excellence – a scrappy, original and ming on public television.
impressively professional filmed pro-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10



10 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Year of Living Pandemically then released back to HarborChase,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 still without being tested, according to
Murante.
“This film is a love letter to our com-
munity,” reads an on-screen banner as A week later, on April 6, he fell out
the ballet begins, adding that the film of bed at HarborChase and was taken
was made in “strict accordance with all to Lawnwood Regional Medical Cen-
local, state and federal orders/guide- ter in Fort Pierce, for possible trauma
lines in place at the time of filming.” injury treatment, Murante was told.
Frantically, she pleaded with hospital
The credits took note of sponsors staff to test him for COVID-19.
for recognizing that “even in troubling
times, the arts matter.” “I begged them to test him. I talked
to them every day. I told them there’s
In the week before Christmas, the something else wrong. He’s not normal,
positivity rate in Indian River County he’s not eating. And they would just say,
leapt to an average of 9.2, with the fig- Oh, he doesn’t have symptoms.”
ure topping the 10-percent mark twice.
Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients Eight days later, on April 14, he was
at Cleveland Clinic Indian River rose to finally tested. Results came the next
44 the Monday after Christmas week- day: He was positive. Until that point,
end. his Lawnwood records note, he was
not isolated. On April 18, Arthur Fried-
At Cleveland Clinic Indian River man died. He was 92.
Hospital, 80 caregivers have had CO-
VID-19, according to Rosencrance. By Susan Murante, who said she saw
Christmas eve, nearly 600 had received no one through the lockdown, was
the first dose of the vaccine in Indian utterly alone. She was accustomed to
River County. an active social life, but the virus not
only left her essentially widowed, but
Meanwhile, Susan Murante’s condo severed from all her usual comforts –
near McKee Botanical Gardens has lunch with a friend, a little shopping,
been empty since June. That’s when a stroll on the boardwalk.
her daughter rescued her from a peri-
od of grief made even more profound Susan Murante and longtime partner, Arthur Friedman.
in the isolation of the lockdown.
“My head was spinning. It all hap-
Murante’s longtime partner, Ar- pened so fast. I couldn’t see anybody.
thur Friedman, died of COVID-19 last I was really a basket case,” Murante
spring, and the home they shared be- recalled.
fore he went into memory care at Har-
borChase Assisted Living had turned Finally, in June, her daughter felt
into a prison of sadness. safe enough to drive down from Roch-
ester and take her back to Susan’s
Now back in upstate New York, Mu- house in the mountains.
rante is spending the holidays bundled
up in comfy clothes in a red-shingled “I miss him terribly. I can’t tell you.
house in the Adirondacks, unwilling to We’d been together 25 years, since we
risk travelling south to Vero, or for that met in Albany when I was with the Cuo-
matter, even to her daughter’s house in mos,” said Murante, referring to a time
Rochester, two hours away. when she was press secretary to former
Gov. Mario Cuomo’s wife, Matilda.
HarborChase’s first positive case
showed up in state records on April 7. Friedman was an assistant to Shel-
A robocall went out the next evening don Silver, former speaker of the New
to residents’ families informing them York state assembly. In her mind now,
the case was a hospitalized staff mem- unable to return to Florida as she nor-
ber who was “doing well.” mally would this time of year, Murante
braves the holidays sorting through
Ten days earlier, on March 28, photos snug in her house as a snow-
Friedman had gone to the Cleveland storm threatens.
clinic emergency room with difficulty
breathing, Murante said. She pleaded In one photo they are together on
with medical personnel to test him for the rustic porch of a restaurant; in
COVID-19 but was told he didn’t have another, at a sunny waterside cafe. In
symptoms.

“I called the emergency room and
said I want him tested. Something is
wrong. But nobody would test him.”
He was sent back to HarborChase’s
memory care wing with oxygen “for
the first time in his life,” Murante said.

The next day, Friedman collapsed
and was taken back to the hospital.
This time he was kept overnight and

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 11

HAPPY NEW YEAR

still another, Art is wearing reindeer At last check, the Health Depart- For Himanshu Mehta, managing made my lungs hurt. It was two weeks
antlers. ment claimed to be contact tracing director of the county’s solid waste of that. It’s doing everything it can to
“100 percent” of local cases, though in disposal district, health department keep you from having enough air in
“He was just so much fun.” many instances, including at Church staffers were a godsend when he de- your body.”
of Christ, Wild said, the health depart- veloped COVID-19 symptoms a few
Arthur Friedman’s death points to ment appears to rely on the word of days after his 51st birthday in October. Mehta’s three teenage sons quar-
one disturbing fact: People who con- people involved in outbreaks that they antined with their mother for 14 days
tracted the virus at the start of the pan- have informed all those affected. HIs symptoms started out like a cold and all three were fine, Mehta said. It
demic were more likely to fall victim to coming on, and since it was a week- was hard being separated, but Mehta
shortages, chaos and ignorance of the “I called the health department end, he was able to isolate. But his ordered them lunches or dinners, and
disease. and said one of our people just got parents, both in their early 80s, were they would eat together over Zoom.
a positive result, and the lady I was essentially trapped in a mother-in-law
Today, thankfully, the novel coro- talking to said, ‘Just see if anyone else suite Mehta had built for them behind “It was a balance, it was a will,” Meh-
navirus is considerably less novel, comes down with any symptoms,’” his house. ta said. “My boys have been my moti-
though its mutations may yet wield Wild said. vation in terms of being in their lives,
new danger, as word came just before Himanchu “Tony” Mehta after surviving COVID-19. being the father, and I look forward to
Christmas that a mutation from the “Maybe the health departments being a grandfather too. The desire to
U.K. may have already arrived in the needed more support, and we may “I was worried about my parents,” live and contribute and to be a part of
United States. have paid a price to learn that les- he said. “I’m an only child. How do I what I’ve created in my life. It reminds
son,” said Jones get them tested? I certainly couldn’t us of what’s important to me.
“I lost two friends to COVID-19. I miss take them.”
them and I’m frustrated they died,” said “We also discovered how fragile our “It really puts it in perspective that
Allen Jones, a trustee of the county’s hospital system can be and how de- Instead, he asked the health depart- we have this one life and we have to be
Hospital District, which strongly sup- pendent we are on other countries for ment if there was any way they could grateful for it. COVID really wants you
ported a mask mandate and together PPE and raw materials necessary for send someone out to test them. “It to stop breathing. And you can’t let it.
with the extra $300,000 for COVID-19 vaccine production.” seemed that that was a surprise re- You’ve got to fight it.”
supplies, allotted millions during the quest,” he recalled. “But to my pleas-
pandemic for agencies that care for in- Jones believes COVID-19 has brought ant surprise, two days later, people After two weeks, Mehta was cleared
digent residents. out the best and worst in Americans, showed up from the VNA. to return to work but he lost his sense
and that in the end, it will make us bet- of taste and smell for five weeks.
Jones believes that had his friends ter by forcing an important conversa- “‘We’re here to test your parents for
gotten ill at a later point in the pan- tion. COVID-19.’ Born in India, where he lived un-
demic, they might have survived due til age 10, he particularly missed his
to advances made in care. “We may have learned lessons that “I said, ‘Wow, how did you know? beloved Indian food. It was only after
only tragedy, unfortunately, is able to They said, ‘The health department con- he was well, and believing he was im-
Today, an explosion of knowledge instill in our consciousness,” Jones tacted us.’ I said, ‘Oh my God, thank mune, ventured out for a favorite pas-
has fueled the global mobilization of said. you so much. They tested both of them time – playing pool – that he noticed
vaccines, with the first batch arriving in and luckily they were both negative. he was smelling the cigarette smoke in
Vero the Monday before Christmas to He points to the resistance to masks the pool hall.
inoculate frontline healthcare workers and the argument that mandates in- “I can’t say enough about the health
at Cleveland Clinic Indian River, and fringed on a right to self-determina- department. From the ease of just “Surviving COVID and having an-
more on the way for other local hospi- tion. driving up and getting tested to the tibodies felt like a superpower that
tals as well as long-term care facilities. follow-up and the phone call, it was I wasn’t contagious or could get it
The refusal to wear masks endan- amazing what they’re doing. again immediately,” Mehta said. But
Next week, the first of three FDA-ap- gers others, insists Jones, framing the the feeling was short-lived. Scientists
proved self-administered rapid tests debate as a “lack of respect for the “I certainly have friends and col- report they don’t know yet the param-
designed for home use will be made common good versus each individu- leagues with the county, but I know if eters of post-infection immunity, just
available to the public, with a dozen al’s preferences.” they’re doing it for me, they’re doing as they don’t yet know how long vac-
more at-home tests in development. it for everybody else. Cool, calm and cines will be protective.
Thanks to COVID, he said, “we may collected. They answered all my ques-
Even without home tests, local be closer to finding a balance regard- tions.” “A healthy respect for COVID is the
low-cost community clinics includ- ing the important concept of how to only way to live and love life,” Mehta
ing Whole Family Health and Treasure embrace both.” Mehta, who says he has had worse said.
Coast Community Health now offer cases of flu than what he experienced
free PCR COVID-19 testing without re- Jones also questions the language with COVID-19, continued to work “I take this thing seriously; I’ve got
quiring symptoms, known exposure or used to justify the lockdown, saying from home. Friends brought food, and my elderly parents to take care of, and
doctors’ orders. shutting down commerce, particu- he had his groceries delivered. But by I didn’t want them to get it. That was
larly small businesses, “hurt a lot of most afternoons, he was overcome with a big thing weighing on me. From ev-
As of last week, rapid tests were also people,” and that deeming businesses exhaustion. “All you want to do is sleep.” erything I read back in February and
available but in more limited supply, “non-essential” by the standards of March, I knew I needed to protect
and TCCH was using them only for science may not have been a wise dis- “COVID wants you to stop breath- them. I’m not just doing my own thing.
first responders, healthcare workers tinction to make. ing,” said Mehta. “Taking a deep breath This virus is serious, and I’m scared.”
and students with symptoms.
He called it a “failure of leadership” The other concern was his positive
The Health Department of Indian not to “frame these complexities in test would not end with his own illness.
River also offers testing, as it has from language that we could agree on.”
the start of the pandemic. Over and It did not, he believes. A co-worker
over, the under-the-radar efforts of the As trust of institutions, science and who was with him in a meeting the Fri-
department’s army of epidemiologists each other seemed to deteriorate, day before his symptoms began ended
won praise from those who desperate- Jones came to see diverse components up testing positive too. Mehta believes
ly relied on their expertise – nursing holding together the web of the coun- they both wore their masks throughout
homes, assisted living facilities, and try’s identity, from Amazon and UPS – the meeting, but the room was closed.
private citizens. the “glue” of the economy – to EMTs That co-worker went through symp-
and ER nurses “making the healthcare toms similar to Mehta’s and has recov-
“They came in and actually tried to system work.” ered. But Mehta still feels bad about it.
help us, as opposed to all these state
inspectors that just want to cite you “We learned they care and are deeply “You’re afraid for yourself but it’s a
for every little thing,” said one senior traumatized by ill patients,” said Jones. worse feeling to know maybe you gave
care facility manager. “Maybe they all deserve a raise and a it to a friend or colleague. That’s a really
bigger share of our vast economy.” tough thing, especially if something bad
happens. It’s something you don’t want
on your conscience. You really don’t.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

12 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Year of Living Pandemically his infection: He was able to donate
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 plasma, potentially to help another
COVID-19 patient.
“If you get tested, that’s the time you
don’t go anywhere, while you wait for “This life is for living, and I’m going to
the result. If you find out you’re positive continue doing what I love while I can
and you were out exposing yourself to do it,” said Mehta, a long-distance run-
others, that’s not helping your commu- ner who plans to run in a race called Just
nity. Everybody should be vigilant.” Survive 125 in early January – a 125-mile
race from the beach at Hobe Sound to
Mehta, who has always been a blood Lake Okeechobee and back.
donor, discovered one silver lining to
“After being cooped up in the house

all this time, I need to live.” 

MY

VERO A WISH FOR THE COMING YEAR

BY RAY MCNULTY During Laura Zorc’s two-year run
as School Board chairman, in fact, she
Staff Writer was publicly criticized by wronghead-
ed partisan gasbags – one such dunce
As the calendar turns mercifully to labeled her “Liberal Laura,” even
2021, which promises to bring a long- though she’s a staunch conservative –
awaited end to a pandemic that has because she dared vote for Democrat
done so much damage to so many, I’d Mara Schiff for vice chairman.
like to share with you my wish for the
coming year. It didn’t matter that Schiff was a re-
spected college professor with strong
I want us to take a hard look at who credentials. She’s a Democrat. She played
we’ve become and remember who we for the wrong team.
were – before COVID, before we chose
sides, before we allowed ourselves to be More troubling, though, is how
conned into believing that every aspect many of us, locally and nationally, are
of our lives must be viewed through the now judging each other using a moral
distorted and divisive lens of politics. compass that points right and left in-
stead of right and wrong.
I want us to put aside our political dif-
ferences and remember that our con- We’ve reached a sad and dangerous
nection to each other is more important juncture, where longtime friends –
than our allegiance to political parties. and even family members – no longer
can reasonably discuss politics.
Too many of us have forgotten.
You’d think it couldn’t happen here, Some friends and relatives have be-
in Vero Beach, in a community that cel- come so politically polarized that they’re
ebrates its Mayberry-by-the-Sea per- no longer talking to each other about
sona, embraces its small-town charm anything.
and takes such pride in being a special
place. Is that how you want to live?
But it has. It’s bad enough that so many of us let
Our seaside slice of heaven, it turns our political views determine where
out, is no different from hundreds of oth- we get our news, further expanding
er communities across America, where the gaping divide between ourselves
the political divide continues to grow. and those across the aisle by choosing
You see it on social media. You hear it to hide in echo chambers, and absorb-
around town. You experience it at gov- ing only the facts and opinions with
ernmental meetings, where partisan which we agree.
politics – and the anger it spawns – has Are you really going to allow your poli-
impacted the public discourse and de- tics to decide where you shop and dine?
cisions made by our County Commis- Or which TV shows and movies you
sion, City Council and School Board. watch? Or with whom you socialize?
As we witnessed whenever local of- I know I’m not the only one in Vero
ficials were confronted by crowds op- Beach who’s worn out by the divisive-
posed to the adoption of mask mandates ness and venom, who wants to see a
during a pandemic-rocked 2020, politi- change in tone and volume, who is
cal expediency trumped common sense ready for politics to move into the
and the community’s best interests. background and no longer be a daily
It goes beyond that, however. topic of conversation.
Perhaps you’ve noticed that politi- So, let’s start 2021 the right way – by
cal parties are now endorsing candi- not talking about politics nearly as
dates in No Party Affiliation races, much as we did in 2020. And by being
such as those for School Board and less vehement and vitriolic when the
judges, thumbing their noses at the topic does come up.
supposed political independence of I hope you will grant this wish, and
those positions. help make New Year 2021 a better year

for all of us. 

Pete and Cassidy Sweeney
with sons Finnegan and Sullivan

‘HOLIDAYS AT McKEE’:
NOTHING BUT GOOD CHEER HERE! P. 20

14 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Priceless moments at Youth Guidance End-of-Year fest

Trudie Rainone and Philip Barnes. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Mariah-Ka Darrisaw and Salaria Webb. Board Members Laurie Connelly and Kevin Moree.

Lea Stuck and Joshua Stuck. Brieseanna Bell and Lesley Mussen. Matthew Mitchell and Alex Mitchell.

BY MARY SCHENKEL by the Exchange Club of Vero Beach, ers who might be new to the program. morning and half in the afternoon.
Staff Writer Target, Victoria’s Secret and individual So, it’s a good way to give our kids who “It’s important to have this celebra-
donors. are committed a first chance to sign
Children enrolled in the current se- up.” tion, because this hasn’t been a great
mester of the Youth Guidance Mentor- “This doubles as our signup for next year for a lot of our kids,” said Barnes.
ing Academy gathered recently with semester,” said Barnes. “We give our He explained that because of the “Community support has been out-
their families – outside this year – for kids who were active this past semes- coronavirus, they are still not at full standing. We have incredible board
their annual End-of-Year Celebration. ter the first chance to sign up, and then capacity. The number of enrollees has support, and we have a really solid
we’ll reach out and connect with oth- been limited to 50 students; half in the staff. Everyone makes it work.”
“The children made their lists and
Jenna (Thompson, family services Board members Kevin Moree and
specialist) checked it twice,” said Sue Trudie Rainone, in turn, had nothing
Hunt, public relations specialist, add- but high praise for Barnes.
ing that group leader Leslie Mussen
had organized the evening’s festivities. “This is not a job for Phil; it’s a pas-
“All the kids are getting gifts, which is sion,” said Moree.
really wonderful.”
They added that Barnes had started
“Santa definitely showed up this in the position just one week before
year, however he could not be here in the coronavirus hit in March. Despite
person due to COVID,” Holly Forde, the tumultuous year, he has instituted
assistant executive director, told the several new collaborative programs
crowd. “He is working overtime to get in areas that teach life skills, and an
everybody else their presents.” academic enrichment program that
teaches children how to learn.
“They filled out their top three re-
quests and, just depending on the “He’s amazing; he’s absolutely fabu-
price, we tried to equal it out amongst lous. We’re really lucky to have him,”
all the kids,” said Phil Barnes, execu- said Rainone, adding with a laugh, “It
tive director. Funding was provided starts from the top. If the top stinks, ev-
erything else is bad. If the top is great,
it’s wonderful!” 



16 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Wreath event: From a grateful community, with love

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

On National Wreaths Across Amer- Vero Beach Mayor Robbie Brackett (center) with members of the Vero Beach Gold Star Families Diana D’Angelo, Mark Reynolds, Michelle Dale,
ica Day, ceremonies are carried out Police Department Honor Guard: Robert Skoglund, James Ooley, Philip and Kathleen Canal, and Wanda Johnson.
each December to “Remember, Hon- Arturo Luna, and John Scroggin.
or and Teach” at Arlington National
Cemetery and at roughly 4,200 other United States Navy veteran Robert Cheshire. PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN Kiara Castor.
locations in the United States and
abroad, including locally at Veterans Indian River County Sheriff’s Office Detective Rob Ryan. Sean and Sandy McLaughlin with Declan Martinn, Alex van Dalen and Andrew Moye.
Memorial Island Sanctuary, Crest-
lawn Cemetery and Sebastian Munic- monuments: Staff Sgt. Peterson, U.S. Bagpiper Dave Owens. live balsam fir wreaths symbolize our
ipal Cemetery. Army; IRCSO Dep. Ed Gast, Marine honor to those who have served and
Corps; Robert Cheshire, U.S. Navy; are serving in the United States Armed
“All these wreaths are paid for by Staff Sgt. Michelle Rispoli, U.S. Air Forces of our great nation, and to their
local residents and businesses; there Force; U.S. Army veteran John Palaz- families, who endure the sacrifices ev-
is no government money,” said Joe zlo, U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Air Force ery day on our behalf,” said Ryan. “As
Crowley, who with wife Sue and Rick Capt. Tad Woodhull, Merchant Ma- a nation standing together, we can de-
Lewis founded the local wreath cer- rines; and IRSCO Dep. Villier, U.S. feat terrorism hatred and injustice.”
emonies three years ago. Army, on the monument honoring
those whose last status was as POW/ Through Jan. 15, every donation
“I had done this in Massachusetts MIA. toward one wreath will enable the
and when I moved here and wanted purchase of two wreaths. To contrib-
to volunteer to lay wreaths, I found “Each wreath is a gift of apprecia- ute, visit WreathsAcrossAmerica.org\
out it wasn’t being done here,” Crow- tion from a grateful America. These FL0500. 
ley explained. “The committee and all
the people who lay wreaths are volun-
teers; this is our community.”

This year, 105 wreaths were placed
on the Memorial Island cenotaphs
and monuments, 1,200 wreaths at
Crestlawn Cemetery and 350 wreaths
at Sebastian Municipal Cemetery.

“It just was a very difficult fundrais-
ing year, but the community still did
great,” said Crowley, noting they were
short by some 500 wreaths. “We were
able to raise enough money to keep
this event going, and next year I’m
positive we will have 100 percent cov-
erage,” said Crowley. They would like
next year to purchase 2,800 wreaths to
expand to all cemeteries in the county.

Cynthia Ryan, executive assistant
at the Indian River County Veterans
Council, coordinated the ceremony,
and her husband, IRCSO Detective
Rob Ryan, a Marine veteran, led the
presentations, which included the
Indian River County Sheriff’s Office
Honor Guard and Vero Beach Police
Department Honor Guard.

“We are all proud to be Americans
that live in a free society, made up of
many people from many walks of life.
The freedoms we enjoy today have not
come without a price. In cemeteries
throughout this nation, there are men
and women that gave their lives so
that we can live in freedom, without
fear,” said Ryan. “We thank those who
gave their lives to keep us free and we
shall not forget you; we shall remem-
ber.”

As bagpiper Dave Owens played
Amazing Grace, representatives of
various branches of service placed
wreaths on the Memorial Island

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 17

PEOPLE

Take a bow! Operation Hope donates ‘more toys than ever’

Back: Dr. Dominick Benedetto, Grace Skrzypczak, Alex Heater, Mary Grandy and Gerri Ripp. us are grandparents, and this year in in our annual toy drive for Opera-
particular we may not be seeing our tion Hope. It is such a special way to
families. So, it was especially mean- celebrate this time of year,” said Rob
ingful for us to be able to buy toys and Tench, Orchid Island Golf and Beach
to know that they would be going into Club general manager.
the hands of these wonderful children
in Fellsmere,” said Skrzypczak. Founded by Jesse Zermeno in 1997,
Operation Hope provides support, ed-
Volunteers and staff had formed a ucation and assistance to families in
brigade-style line to transfer bikes, need. They seek to make a difference
sports equipment, dolls, stuffed ani- in the lives of laborers and their fami-
mals and games from the Beach Club lies by improving living conditions
into the back of a large truck to trans- and by distributing food, clothing and
fer the collection to all the good boys household items.
and girls in Fellsmere.
Operation Hope volunteers divvied
“We know that we’re making some up the bounty donated by Orchid Is-
kids happy, and that makes us happy. land members and others throughout
You’re not putting a check in the mail the community for this year’s Christ-
someplace. You’re buying a gift for a mas Festival, which was conducted as
real child who lives someplace nearby. a drive-through event to ensure social
It’s very, very special in that way,” said distancing.
Skrzypczak.
In addition to the Christmas Festi-
She had great praise for the Orchid val, families can pick up food and gro-
staff, commenting that their support cery items twice a month, gather for
was critical. “They’re just as excited as an annual Thanksgiving Turkey Give-
we are about this event each year.” away, and receive student backpacks
and school supplies in August.
“The members of Orchid Island are
so very kind and philanthropic. They For more information, visit opera-
always look forward to participating tionhopefl.org. 

Front: Veronica Ferraro, Ruth Hills and Jesse Zermeno. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

Rob Tench.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

Members of the Orchid Island Club czak, Orchid’s house committee chair,
helped Santa fill his sleigh before adding that they have participated for
Christmas, donating more than 300 the past four years.
toys for the nonprofit organization
Operation Hope to distribute during After dropping off their donations,
its annual Christmas Festival in Fells- guests enjoyed a festive evening and
mere. a generous helping of good cheer dur-
ing the sold-out steakhouse-style din-
“We have an annual Operation ner. It was the perfect way to kick off
Hope dinner in December, and mem- the holiday season, said Skrzypczak.
bers bring unwrapped toys for Opera-
tion Hope’s annual Christmas Festival “We collected more toys than ever
and toy giveaway,” said Grace Skrzyp- this year. It’s just something that peo-
ple at Orchid Island love to do. A lot of

18 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Musical magic in the air at
‘Holidays Come to Citrus Bowl’

PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

BY MARY SCHENKEL Orchestra, Combined Choirs, Jazz
Band, Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir
Staff Writer and Fighting Indians Band, as well
as flag routines by the Color Guard,
The Vero Beach High School Per- concluding with a combined holi-
forming Arts Center took their sea- day sing along.
sonal concert outdoors this year,
presenting “The Holidays Come to Impressively, the choral groups
the Citrus Bowl.” And, while the were all able to expertly project
acoustics couldn’t match those of their songs through face masks.
the VBHS Performing Arts Center,
the enthusiasm of the performers “Out of all the performing arts
and audience alike helped to make groups, choirs have been dealt a
the season bright. big blow with COVID,” said How-
ell, explaining that research indi-
“For many of our students, not all cates vocal aerosol transmissions
of them, this is the first live perfor- are considerably worse than by in-
mance they’ve put on since March, struments. “But our choir director
so they are excited. This is a little decided that the kids need to sing.
different for us and a little different We’re trying to preserve as much
for you, but I think that’s the theme normal for the kids as we can, and
of this year – a little different,” said she felt like they could pull it off
Page Howell, director of bands and with masks. All of us have taken
department chair, welcoming an huge safety precautions this semes-
estimated audience of 750 to 800 ter.”
proud parents, siblings and friends.
Howell said discussions began in
“This is about these students on August about how to handle their
the field, because part of getting a traditional December concert dur-
comprehensive and well-rounded ing this most unusual year. He cred-
arts education is performing. Live ited the outdoor concept to Karen
music and theater are an important Wiggins, PAC director, and the
part of the high school experience, round robin-style blueprint of the
and we are very proud and very performance on the field to associ-
thankful that we’re able to perform ate band director Jessica Russell.
for you tonight. So, on behalf of our
whole department, we thank you for “We want to thank everybody that
being here.” came to the concert; it meant a lot to
the students,” said Howell. “Their
The musical presentations were faces lit up when they saw all those
each introduced by holiday-themed people there. That they were able to
costumed members of the VBHS perform was a big deal for our stu-
Drama Troupe – including, of dents. Starting when we come back
course, Santa and his sidekick, Bud- from the winter break, we are going
dy the Christmas Elf. to start having some performances,
both virtual performances and live
The program included pieces performances, as things hopefully
performed by the VBHS Symphon- clear up with COVID and get back
ic Band, Voices of Vero, Philhar- to normal.” 
monic Orchestra, Chorale, Concert

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 19

PEOPLE

20 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Holidays at McKee’: Nothing but good cheer here!

Matt Sisaleumsak, Frank Grey, Aaron Collins, Eric Lee, Clayton Lucovich, Brian Urso and Jennifer Royals. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Jinny Robertson and Evan Carter.

Paula Sacco and Ro Van Dright. Isabel Dowd and Ariana Dowd.

Nathan Fosse and Margretta Fosse.

BY MARY SCHENKEL Christmas” and “A Christmas Carol” to
life inside the Hall of Giants.
Staff Writer
“This one is focused on younger
McKee Botanical Garden, a magical kids, so preschool age, and then we
place at any time of year, takes on a par- have other programs that are focusing
ticularly festive glow during its annual on the older ages as well. It’s just a fun
Holidays at McKee, which this year in- way to tell a story through music,” said
cluded nearly a month’s worth of fam- Aaron Collins, Space Coast conductor
ily fun. This expanded edition of one of and artistic director. “We’re very hap-
Vero’s favorite events was designed to py with this program; we want to see
spread cheer and not COVID. Festivi- it grow and reach as many people as
ties were held only during the day, and possible, but of course it’s reliant on so
the additional days helped limit the many different other factors, so we just
numbers of visitors at any given time. do our best.”

There was plenty to keep visitors of In between performances, young-
all ages engaged and entertained, with sters oohed and aahed over the intri-
themed storytime, crafts and games, cate Christmas village display, giggled
classic movie showings and ‘mascot’ over the ‘snowflakes’ being blown out
visits from Santa and his friends – in- into the Spanish Kitchen, and earnest-
cluding brief visits from real live rein- ly shared their Christmas wishes with
deer. Jolly St. Nick.

There were also various perfor- And then it was off to the winding
mances throughout the month by lo- paths of McKee where, nestled among
cal individuals and groups, including the always-spectacular flora, all clever-
a brass quintet from the Space Coast ly and festively decorated for the occa-
Symphony Orchestra, which presented sion, were some unusual fauna – Sean
two performances of its Once Upon an Kenney’s Nature Connects creatures,
Orchestra musical series, a program made entirely with LEGO Bricks. That
funded through an Indian River Im- exhibit will remain on display through
pact 100 grant to educate preschool April 25.
and kindergarten children about mu-
sic. That day, the musicians and a For more information, visit mck-
narrator brought “The Night Before eegarden.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 21

PEOPLE

Arabella Lane and Samantha Lane. Patti and Daniel Box with Jini and Daniel Noffke.
Hannah McDowell and Robin McDowell.

Katherine Booth and Bonnie Myers.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Significant police ‘presents’ at festive Shop with a Cop

Dep. David May with Jameka and Ja’shani.

Ofc. Hector Hurtado with Juliette and Tavaris. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Kwajuan Alexander with Maj. Milo Thornton.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF large, organizers decided to divide you can go to for help,” said Gillette. really important to make sure that
Staff Writer and conquer with Sebastian Police The remaining law enforcement these children know that they are
Department officers shopping for Se- loved and cared for in our commu-
Members of local law enforcement bastian-area children based on sub- officers gathered at Vero Beach nity,” said Ogonoski.
wrapped up Christmas with a giant mitted wish lists, rather than shop- Walmart where they were assigned a
bow for families during the annual ping with them. child or two to shop with. Carts over- For the past few years, proceeds
Shop with a Cop Indian River. flowed with dolls, dinosaurs, games, from the summertime Christmas in
Erring on the side of caution, gifts basketballs, clothes and perfume, ac- July at Riverview Park supported the
As with everything else in 2020, for those 80 children were distributed companied by the sound of the jolly program, with supplemental dona-
this year’s gift extravaganza took on a at Riverview Park with lots of help officers “testing” out the toys with tions from area businesses and citi-
whole new look. What didn’t change from Santa’s elves in blue, conclud- their 100 giggling charges. zens. This year fundraising needed
were the looks of pure joy – even hid- ing with youngsters and their fami- to be done independently to enable
den under masks – on the faces of lies treated to dinner at the Salvation “Some of these kids shop for their the purchase of the $100 gift cards,
the children who were gifted $100 to Army’s food truck. family. It warms my heart and breaks and get it done they did.
make their wishes come true. it at the same time. They are so self-
“It’s one of the favorite things that less,” said Dep. Jessica Ogonoski, Additionally, through the third
The longstanding inter-agency col- a lot of our officers get to do. A lot IRCSO. annual Pack a Patrol Car, the Sher-
laborative amongst the Fellsmere, of them were disappointed that we iff’s Office, VBPD, Walmart and
Sebastian and Vero Beach Police De- didn’t get to do the shopping part The same pandemic health proto- VBHA HOSA students (Health Oc-
partments, Florida Fish and Wildlife with the kids. I’m hoping next year we cols the school district uses were em- cupation Students of America) part-
Conservation Commission, Florida can go back to doing that,” said Ofc. ployed so that only good cheer was nered to collect gifts and gift cards
Highway Patrol, Indian River Coun- Jason Gillette, SPD, noting that with spread. for children at SafeSpace and other
ty Sheriff’s Office and Indian River the division of labor, they were able families in need.
Shores Public Safety Department, to invite more children to participate “It’s something we need now more
ended a tumultuous year on a high this year. “We’re building relation- than ever. Many families lost their With all the loses this year, it’s nice
note. ships with the community. We want jobs; the kids feel the effects the to know there will be something more
kids to see the police as the people most. When families lose their fi- than a mask and hand sanitizer under
With the pandemic still looming nances and their parents struggle, the tree for these local children. 
kids notice and take it to heart. It’s

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 23

PEOPLE

Nicholas Hernandez, Dep. Mindy Mangel and Julian Hernandez.

Florida Highway Patrol’s Brian Colgan VBPD Chief David Currey
with his shopping buddies. and IRSCO Maj. Eric Flowers.

Sgt. Todd Finnegan, Ofc. Donald Hart and Ofc. Jason Gillette.

Jonathan Hardie with Eli. James.





It has good bones, as the real estate What comes next, though, isn’t cer- As a result, NASA has been increas- has invested more than $100 billion in
agents would say. Sleeps six, or more. tain. ingly concerned it could have a gap the facility, which receives more than
Upgraded bathroom. Gym. Indoor in low Earth orbit that would be even $3 billion annually from NASA.
garden. Parking for as many as eight Under President Trump, NASA has more consequential than the ignomin-
visitor vehicles. And you can’t beat the been scrambling to return astronauts ious period after the space shuttle fleet Privately run stations would also
location – 240 miles high with superb to the moon under an accelerated was retired that left the space agency need time to build their business
views of Earth: Truly all the best low timeline. But the first big test the in- with no way to launch its astronauts cases, signing foreign governments as
Earth orbit has to offer! coming Biden administration will face to space from U.S. soil. Instead, NASA tenants, working with companies and
in space could very well be the future was forced to rely on the Russians for universities that want to do research
But after hosting a rotating cast of the space station. If it’s retired with- rides to space, at a price that grew to in space, and wealthy tourists who
of astronauts for more than 20 years out a backup, NASA would face an “ex- as much as $90 million a seat, before would pay millions of dollars to visit.
straight, the International Space Sta- istential challenge,” as one top space Elon Musk’s SpaceX restored human
tion is showing its age – it sprung an- agency official put it, with no place for spaceflight for NASA earlier this year. While NASA and the private sec-
other tiny leak last month – and NASA its astronauts to go. tor work toward developing com-
is already shopping for a new spread Even if the station is extended, NASA mercial habitats, China is building its
for its astronauts. There are several companies work- needs to be working now on its re- own space station – which it hopes to
ing to develop a commercial space placement, officials said. It took years launch within a couple of years – and
The space agency is confident Con- station, looking at a range of options to get the ISS up and running. The con- is recruiting countries around the
gress and its international partners that vary: a modern version of the ISS, cept was born in 1984, when President world as partners. The United States
will agree to extend the station’s life a station with modules that inflate like Ronald Reagan announced the United would not be one of them, however,
beyond 2024, when it is currently set balloons, and one that would refur- States would put a station, eventually since NASA is effectively barred by law
to expire. On Friday, the Senate passed bish discarded rocket stages that are dubbed Freedom, in orbit. But after from partnering with China in space.
a NASA authorization bill that would floating around in orbit. different administrations and design
extend it to 2030. But space is harsh, changes, the first segments weren’t “I think it would be a tragedy if, after
the station is aging and at some point But while those options show prom- launched until 1998. Since then, NASA all of this time and all of this effort, we
it will have to come down. ise, they are still unproven and years were to abandon low Earth orbit and
from hitting the market. cede that territory,” NASA administra-

tor Jim Bridenstine told a Senate panel Below: A rendering of the Above: Boeing and NanoRacks LLC and produce twice the power,” Mul-
earlier this year. commercial space station are teaming up to develop the first holland said. The power upgrade also
being built by Axiom doubled the speed at which the sta-
The ISS still does have some good Space. privately funded commercial airlock tion’s crew can send data from science
years left, officials said. “We’re good experiments back to Earth.
from an engineering standpoint,” Joel for the International Space Station.
Montalbano, NASA’s space station Over the years, the station’s water
program manager, said in an inter- recovery system has improved to the
view. “We’re cleared through 2028.” point where today, 95 percent of the
water used for drinking and cooking is
Boeing, which is paid $225 million recycled, Montalbano said. The com-
per year as the prime contractor sup- munications systems have also been
porting space station operations, said upgraded, as have life support systems
it could stay in orbit even longer. like carbon dioxide removal.

“The ISS is incredibly healthy, with Still, like a house that needs repairs,
life capability well beyond 2030,” said things break. Since a leaky roof could
John Mulholland, Boeing’s ISS program have dire consequences in space, and
manager. He said the U.S. and Russia no plumbers or electricians are go-
recently completed a life extension ing to make a house call, astronauts
study “and all the hardware has been are trained to repair the toilet or plug
cleared to a minimum of 2030. That’s a leaks. But even a tiny leak hissing air
real testament to the design and the into the vacuum of space is a threat,
maintenance that’s been done on it.” and astronauts spent weeks recently
searching for one in the Russian seg-
Recently, the station got new lith-
ium-ion batteries that “are less than CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
half the size of the original batteries

28 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 INSIGHT COVER STORY

ment of the station before patching it. Top: An artist rendering different,” said Mike Suffredini, Axi- The company has a contract with
It was tiny: “Think of the size of two of what the Sierra Nevada om’s president and CEO. NASA to attach at least one privately
grains of salt is what we had to find,” Corp.'s inflatable space developed module to the ISS by 2024,
Montalbano said. station would look like The ISS has some key components lo- which could potentially allow the crew
in low Earth orbit with its cated on the outside of its station, mean- capacity on the station to grow.
Many in the space industry think Dream Chaser spacecraft. ing astronauts have to perform risky
an extension of the life of the station spacewalks to, say, swap out batteries. On Suffredini, who previously served as
would be supported by the Biden ad- Center and bottom: An the Axiom station, those would all be lo- the ISS program manager for NASA,
ministration and the House, where a artist’s conception shows cated inside. It would also have “the larg- said he is not concerned about a gap.
bill that would extend it to 2028 has a space traveler floating est window observatory ever constructed Rather, he said, he’s more concerned
been introduced. It’s unclear, though, in zero gravity aboard the for space,” and an interior designed by about ensuring a transition from a
whether Russia would want to con- commercial space station French architect Philippe Starck. government station to a commercial
tinue, and getting the station’s other being built by Axiom one that gives his potential customers
partners on board would take time. Space. confidence.

Wary of a gap, Bridenstine has in- is hoping will help it continue the U.S.’s “I’m more concerned that we drive
creasingly been sounding the alarm, presence in low Earth orbit. ourselves to keep ISS on orbit too long,”
urging Congress to fully fund its re- he said. “The negative impact is inves-
quests to build a commercial pres- Axiom Space, a Houston-based com-
ence in Earth orbit that would include pany, is working toward building a tors start to worry about is ISS ever go-
private stations. commercial space station that would ing to leave?”
be a modern version of the ISS with
Last year, NASA requested $150 mil- some key upgrades. The Sierra Nevada Corp. also is
lion as part of its plan, but Congress working to build a commercial sta-
granted just a tenth of that. For the fis- “When you look at the shell you go, tion. But instead of a station with
cal 2021 budget, NASA requested the ‘Wow, that looks just like the same old metal structures, it would be made
same amount but will receive just $17 space station.’ But after that, pretty of a Kevlar-like material that would
million, sparking a new round of warn- much everything will be dramatically inflate, making it easier to get more
ings: “ISS won’t last forever & incentiviz- space station volume into orbit with
ing the private sector to begin follow-on fewer rocket launches.
capabilities are needed now,” said Lori
Garver, who served as NASA deputy ad- The company says it could get its
ministrator in the Obama administra- first modules into space within five or
tion. “This concept isn’t hard. Have we six years and is confident that there
learned nothing in the last 10 years?” will be enough demand to make it fi-
nancially feasible.
“It’s critically important for the Unit-
ed States to have access to low Earth “We’re looking forward at the pro-
orbit with humans so they can live and jected market out there, and it just
work and do science and discovery in looks incredibly bright,” said Janet Ka-
the microgravity of space,” Bridenstine vandi, a former astronaut who serves
said in an interview. “That should be a as the company’s senior vice presi-
national priority. There is a reality that dent for space systems. “There’s so
we all have to accept, which is at some much interest in space right now, in
point in the future we have to focus on the commercialization of space and
what comes after the ISS.” the potential out there for everything
from manufacturing to tourism to re-
While the Trump administration has search laboratories to observatories.”
been focused on returning astronauts
to the moon, the future of the space NanoRacks is also interested in de-
station has received relatively little at- veloping commercial stations. But in-
tention, said Jeffrey Manber, the CEO
of NanoRacks, which is seeking to
build its own small space stations.

After the space shuttle, NASA de-
cided it did not need to own and op-
erate its own rockets and spacecraft
but could instead rely on the private
sector to ferry its astronauts to space.
In 2014, NASA awarded contracts to
SpaceX and Boeing to develop space-
craft to fly astronauts. It took six years
for SpaceX to have its first flight with
humans. Boeing has yet to fly its first
crewed mission.

Developing a private space station
could take just as long, industry offi-
cials said, which is why NASA and the
private sector need to get moving now.

“It’s very apparent to everybody that
when the ISS comes to the end of its
life, we’re not going to replace it with
another $100 billion station,” Briden-
stine said. “The transition needs to be
to commercial space stations. Not just
one, but multiple.”

There are several companies NASA

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 29

INSIGHT COVER STORY

stead of launching them from Earth, velop cost-efficient free fliers and, just “To develop Blue Origin’s vision of low Earth orbit (LEO) would go be-
the company wants to take discarded as important, to continue to grow the millions of people living and work- yond the International Space Station
rocket stages that are already in orbit market for customers,” Manber said. ing in space, humanity will require to support “a robust LEO economy”
and transform them into stations de- places for them to live and work: and be “fundamentally different from
signed for research. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’s space compa- space destination systems in which the ‘exploration’ habitats designed
ny, is also interested in building habitats, value-creating economic activity can for small, professional trained crews
“We need to make the investment and recently posted a job opening for an occur,” it read. The space station in in deep space.” 
now to understand how we can de- “Orbital Habitat Formulation Lead.”

30 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

For obvious reasons, 2020 will not go the creation of automated entities that al of many other future breakthroughs ronment, as will progress in solar pow-
down as a good year. At the same time, can react in very human ways. from computational biology. er, which in many settings is as cheap
it has brought more scientific progress as any relevant alternative. China is
than any year in recent memory – and DeepMind, meanwhile, has used com- Internet access itself will be spread- opening a new and promising fusion
these advances will last long after CO- putational techniques to make major ad- ing. Starlink, for example, has a plau- reactor. Despite the absence of a co-
VID-19 as a major threat is gone. vances in protein folding. This is a break- sible plan to supply satellite-based in- herent U.S. national energy policy, the
through in biology that may lead to the ternet connections to the entire world. notion of a mostly green energy future
Two of the most obvious and tan- easier discovery of new pharmaceuticals. no longer appears utopian.
gible signs of progress are the mRNA It also has been a good year for prog-
vaccines now being distributed across One general precondition behind ress in transportation. In previous eras, advances in en-
America and around the world. These many of these advances is the decen- ergy and transportation typically have
vaccines appear to have very high lev- tralized access to enormous computing Driverless vehicles appeared to be brought further technological advanc-
els of efficacy and safety, and they can power, typically through cloud comput- stalled, but Walmart will be using them es, by enabling humans to conquer and
be produced more quickly than more ing. China seems to be progressing with a on some truck deliveries in 2021. reshape their physical environments
conventional vaccines. They are the photon method for quantum computing, in new and unexpected ways. We can
main reason to have a relatively opti- a development that is hard to verify but Boom, a startup that is pushing to de- hope that general trend will continue.
mistic outlook for 2021. could prove to be of great importance. velop feasible and affordable supersonic
flight, now has a valuation of over $1 bil- Finally, while not quite meeting the
The mRNA technology also may Computational biology, in particu- lion, with prototypes expected next year. definition of a scientific advance, the rise
have broader potential, for instance by lar, is booming. The Moderna vaccine SpaceX achieved virtually every launch of remote work is a real breakthrough.
helping to mend damaged hearts. mRNA was designed in two days, and and rocket goal it had announced for the
without access to COVID-19 itself, a year. Toyota and other companies have Many more Zoom meetings will be
Other advances in the biosciences remarkable achievement that would announced major progress on batter- held, and many business trips will nev-
may prove no less stunning. A very not have been possible only a short ies for electric vehicles, and the related er return. Many may see this as a mixed
promising vaccine candidate against while ago. This likely heralds the arriv- products are expected to debut in 2021. blessing, but it will improve productiv-
malaria, perhaps the greatest killer in ity significantly. It will be easier to hire
human history, is in the final stages of All this will prove a boon for the envi- foreign workers, easier for tech or fi-
testing. Advances in vaccine technology nance workers to move to Miami, and
have created the real possibility of a uni- easier to live in New Jersey and com-
versal flu vaccine, and work is proceed- mute into Manhattan only once a week.
ing on that front. The most productive employees will be
able to work from home more easily.
New CRISPR techniques appear on
the verge of vanquishing sickle-cell Without a doubt, it has been a tragic
anemia, and other CRISPR methods year. Alongside the sadness and fail-
have allowed scientists to create a new ure, however, there has been quite a
smartphone-based diagnostic test that bit of progress. That’s something worth
would detect viruses and offer diagno- keeping in mind, even if we can’t quite
ses within half an hour. bring ourselves to celebrate, as we
look back on 2020. 
It has been a good year for artificial
intelligence as well. GPT-3 technology A version of this column by Tyler
allows for the creation of remarkably Cowen first appeared on Bloomberg. It
human-like writing of great depth and does not necessarily reflect the views of
complexity. It is a major step toward Vero Beach 32963.

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

© 2020 Vero Beach 32963 Media, all rights reserved TREATMENT MEDICATIONS

About one person in 10 age 75 or older has moderate or severe leak- Although medications can’t treat mitral valve regurgitation per se, they
ing of the heart’s mitral valve. For some, it’s a minor problem. For can control symptoms and help the heart pump blood more efficiently.
others, mitral valve regurgitation puts a strain on their heart, forcing Types of drugs used to control symptoms include:
it to work harder pumping the same amount of blood out to the body.  Antiarrhythmics
During each heartbeat, some blood leaks backward instead of pump- Control heart rhythm
ing forward.  Anticoagulants ("blood thinners")
Mitral regurgitation is the most common heart valve abnormality and Help prevent blood clots and may be used for atrial fibrillation
one of the most challenging conditions to evaluate and treat. The de-  Diuretics (“water pills”)
cisions whether to prescribe medical treatment, perform a surgical Remove fluid accumulation in the bloodstream, legs, lungs and other
repair or replacement, and if the procedure(s) should be done using tissues; lessen symptoms of heart failure
traditional open heart surgery techniques or a minimally invasive  High blood pressure medications
method (such as robotic-assisted surgery or implantation of a device Lower high blood pressure (high blood pressure worsens valve
called a MitraClip) depend on several factors. regurgitation)
Based on the patient’s age and medical history, the type of valve dis- o ACE inhibitors
ease and severity of damage, the surgeon and cardiologist can usually Treat high blood pressure and heart failure
determine which treatment is best before surgery. In some instances, o Beta blockers
however, the surgeon makes the treatment choice during the opera- Treat high blood pressure and lessen the heart's work by
tion after seeing the valve’s appearance and evaluating its functional- helping the heart beat slower and less forcefully; decrease
ity. Also, at times, valve surgery can be combined with other proce- palpitations for some patients
dures such as another valve procedure, bypass surgery or surgery to  Vasodilators
treat atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm in the heart's upper Lessen heart's work; encourage blood to flow in a forward direction
chambers [atrium]). Some medications may be stopped if you have valve surgery to correct
While symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation include fatigue, loss of your problem. Others may need to be taken throughout your lifetime.
energy, palpitations (extra or skipped heartbeats), shortness of breath
and swelling of the ankles, many patients, even some with severe leak- PROPHYLACTIC ANTIBIOTICS TO PREVENT INFECTIVE
age, experience no symptoms. ENDOCARDITIS (INFECTION OF THE INNER SURFACE OF THE HEART)

WATCHFUL WAITING If you have heart valve disease, undergone valve repair or replacement,
had a previous episode of endocarditis or acquired heart disease from
Patients with mild regurgitation who don’t need treatment are moni- rheumatic heart disease, etc., your doctor will likely advise you to take
tored with regular evaluations and advised to follow healthy lifestyle antibiotics before dental, bladder and bowel procedures to prevent in-
recommendations. fective endocarditis, which can be fatal. 

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

Best Wishes for a Happy New Year 2021!

$33K $35K $27K
2017 Mercedes-Benz SLC300, 21K Miles 2012 Mercedes-Benz E350, 31K Miles
2018 BMW 430i, 45K Miles

$19K $24K $59K
2017 Ford Mustang EcoBoost, 35K Miles 1987 Porsche 911 Cabriolet, 66K Miles
2004 Lexus SC430, 73K Miles

Buy I Sell I Trade I Consignment I Shipping Available I Family Owned & Operated

710 15th Pl., Vero Beach, FL 32960 I 772.999.3292 I VBAutoSports.net
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm I Saturday: 10am - 4pm I Closed Sunday

32 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

John Thompson, who dominated the Georgetown sons and saw little foot-ten, dark-skinned, loud-
University basketball scene for 27 years, held little action on the court, voiced Black man … running
back on the court and off. So it’s not surprising that but, as he notes, “I the show,” racist incidents
his autobiography, “I Came as a Shadow,” is brutally own two NBA cham- flared. During the 1981-1982
honest and unsparing both to many in Thompson’s pionship rings.” In season, Georgetown won 13
life and to Georgetown. Thompson, who died in Au- 1988, Thompson games in a row, with “some
gust, was Georgetown’s coach from 1972 to 1999. In coached the U.S. scuffles and fights along the
1984, he led the Hoyas to the NCAA Division I national Olympic basketball way, because people came
championship, becoming the first Black head coach team.
to capture a major basketball college title. He was after Patrick with elbows,
dogged throughout his career by the repercussions of As a Black kid fists, words, you name it,”
his outspokenness. “There’s a group of guys out there growing up in D.C., Thompson writes. Playing
who sincerely don’t like me and hope they never see Thompson struggled a game at Boston College,
me again,” he writes in the book. “I feel the same way against racial stereo- Ewing finally had enough
about some of them, too.” types. He attended a as the crowd screamed
Catholic school, Our racist epithets at him
As a retired Washington Post sports editor who cov- Lady of Perpetual and one player roughed
ered or supervised coverage of him throughout his Help, where all of the
career, I find Thompson a fascinating figure not only students were Black him up, with the referees
for his coaching exploits but for his strong character but the nuns and standing by, indifferent.
– from the book’s dedication to assistant Mary Fenlon priests were White. As a “Patrick grabbed the kid
(“my right-hand man who was a woman”) to his con- kid he had trouble read- around the throat with
demnation of Georgetown for using enslaved people ing, which, he writes, both hands and started
to build the institution in 1789 and for firing his son prompted the nuns to choking the boy right on
John III as basketball coach in 2017. label him “retarded.” the court,” Thompson
Later in the book, he recalls. “The only thing
“I knew I carried a different burden than other observes, “I was the so-
coaches and I felt the weight of that responsibility,” called retarded kid who that saved him was I ran
he writes. “My sense of responsibility to speak out and went on to earn a mas- out there and hollered at
resist is why people said, ‘John Thompson is hard to ter’s degree.” In a poem, Patrick, ‘Son! What are
get along with. He walks around with a cloud over his “Nocturne Varial,” writ- you doing!’”
head. He makes everything racial.’ Everything was ra- ten by his mother’s brother, Lewis Grandison Alex-
cial, due to what I had seen and experienced.” ander, there’s a line that reads: “I came as a shad- Thompson stress-
ow.” Thompson writes: “I always identified with that es the racial undercurrent that ran through his and
This superb book, done with Jesse Washington, a shadow,” and the line became the title of his auto- Georgetown’s performances on the court. “Let’s just
writer for ESPN’s the Undefeated, has been eagerly biography. state the obvious,” he writes. “We scared a lot of peo-
awaited for years. Thompson had been at work on ple. They shouldn’t have been scared. We were playing
such a book with the late writer Ralph Wiley for a After arriving at Georgetown as head coach in basketball, not robbing banks. But American society
long time, but that project was never completed. My 1972, Thompson couldn’t help remembering an ear- often assumes, unconsciously or deliberately, that
former Post colleague Leonard Shapiro wrote a book lier slight. “Over the twelve years since I had gradu- Black people are dangerous, violent, animalistic, or
on Thompson in 1990, “Big Man on Campus: John ated from high school, Georgetown went from not criminal. People think we need to be controlled, kept
Thompson and the Georgetown Hoyas,” for which recruiting me because I was Black to hiring me be- in our place. I refused to be confined to anyone’s idea
Thompson refused to be interviewed. It contained cause I was Black.” of my place. I would not tell my team to back off be-
unflattering comments from several former players. cause some people were scared for no good reason.”
Starting his era at Georgetown with two seasons
Thompson’s Georgetown résumé, which he does of .500 basketball, Thompson improved that trend In the end, Thompson appreciates his chance to
not dwell on, includes a record of 596 wins, 239 losses with a remarkable run over the next 25 years. He was contribute to Georgetown’s evolution over the years.
and six Big East tournament championships; 24 con- often seen at courtside with a white towel draped “I still love Georgetown for allowing me to be me,
secutive postseason appearances, including three Fi- over his shoulder. That was a throwback to his and for taking a chance on a lot of players who were
nal Fours with Patrick Ewing, who is now Georgetown’s youth, when he used to watch his mother working not superstars but still deserved an opportunity to
coach; sending 27 players to the National Basketball in the kitchen with a towel slung over her shoulder. be educated. I appreciate Georgetown’s transforma-
Association; inclusion in the Naismith Memorial and He replicated the look during games in tribute to tion since they hired me in 1972.” 
College Basketball halls of fame; and seven Big East her.
Coach of the Year awards. I CAME AS A SHADOW
Thompson’s best teams were intimidating, par-
As a player in the 1960s, he won two NBA champi- ticularly on defense, and overly aggressive. With AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
onships as a reserve for the Boston Celtics. He was a Ewing dominating and Thompson, as he puts it, “a six-
backup to Hall of Fame center Bill Russell for two sea- BY JOHN THOMPSON | HOLT. 338 PP. $29.99
REVIEW BY GEORGE SOLOMON, THE WASHINGTON POST

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 33

INSIGHT BRIDGE

THE BIDDING POINTS THE WAY TO WINNERS WEST NORTH EAST
K Q J 10 9 632
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist K Q J 10 9 74 A2
865 KQJ 9743
Richard Darman, who worked for presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, A743 K Q J 10 8652
said, “I have no idea what White House statement was issued, but I stand by it 100
percent.” SOUTH
A8754
Expert bridge players carry a lot of percentages in their heads, which are helpful 8653
occasionally. But the real art is recognizing when the right line is an a priori anti- A 10 2
percentage play. 9

How does that apply this week? South is in four spades. West leads the heart king. Dealer: West; Vulnerable: Both
East overtakes with his ace and returns the heart two. West takes that trick and shifts to
a diamond. What should declarer do now? The Bidding:

The most common mistake my students make is replying to partner’s takeout double. SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
They bid their longest suit at the lowest level regardless of hand strength and expect 2 Spades 1 Hearts Dbl. Pass
partner to be psychic. Here, though, South correctly jumped to two spades, which Pass 4 Spades All Pass LEAD:
promised 9-11 points. (He added two points for his singleton club because he knew his K Hearts
side had an eight- or nine-card spade fit.)

South must lose a club trick, so cannot afford to concede a trump trick. In isolation,
declarer would take the spade finesse, which is a 50-50 shot. The mathematicians will
tell you that West has a singleton king only 6.25 percent of the time. However, as no
doubt you have noticed, West needs to have the spade king for his opening bid. Also,
if East had seven points, he surely would have done something positive over North’s
double. So, South should play a spade to his ace and hope the king drops.

Keep counting high-card points to place missing honor cards.

34 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (DECEMBER 24) ON PAGE 58

ACROSS DOWN
1 Line; tier (3) 1 Contest of speed (4)
3 Commotion (4) 2 Meander (4)
5 Wharf (4) 3 Male in armed forces(10)
8 Agreement (8) 4 Provoke (6)
10 Misfortunes (4) 6 Discharged cargo (8)
11 Conclusion (3) 7 US National Park (8)
13 Warning of danger (5) 9 Vegetable (5)
14 Confess everything (4,5) 12 English county (10)
16 Individual person (3) 14 Musical composition (8)
17 Consume (3) 15 Compassionate (8)
19 Danish elm (anag.) (9) 18 Scrapbook (5)
21 Hot drink (5) 20 Income (6)
22 Young seal (3) 22 Italian city (4)
24 Split (4) 23 Fruit (4)
25 Relating to the sea (8)
The Telegraph 26 Greasy (4)
27 Old musical instrument(4)
28 Manner (3)

How to do Sudoku:

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

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 35

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 109 Poetic encomiums Madagascar The Washington Post
111 Error 54 It hits flies
1 Rule-book pros 113 Tallahassee sch. 55 Luis Rey intro FOUR LITTLE WORDS By Merl Reagle
5 Sonneteer, for one 114 West end 56 Flood relief vessel
9 Former Entertainment Tonight 115 Have debts 58 Lie-telling, e.g. THE Art & Science
116 Frank 60 Keep an ___ (watch)
cohost John 118 Print-job clarity, 61 Corp. VIP of Cosmetic Surgery
13 Country club club: abbr. 64 Finish Julius Caesar?
16 Elite Navy group for short 69 Best and Ferber SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
17 Have a nursery mishap 120 Tom Clancy’s Jack 70 Liquor store Walker • Minimal Incision Lift for the
20 Do-or-die sports moment 122 Problem 71 Renders unable to scratch
22 Insurance quote 123 Kay Kyser catchphrase (not 72 Nogales aunt Face, Body, Neck & Brow
23 Rainfall-challenged? 73 Queequeg’s weapon • Breast Augmentations
24 Grant played by Ed Asner aimed at you, I hope) 74 Prof’s pride
25 Pacific detonations, in 128 Gangster’s “payback” remark 75 1973 plaintiff & Reductions
129 Sprinkler sites 80 It comes first on Jeopardy!: • Post Cancer Reconstructions
headlines 130 Woolly one • Chemical Peels • Botox
27 Barrel-hoop wood 131 Area of London abbr. • Laser Surgery • Tummy Tucks
28 For hours ___ stretch 132 Saudi Arabia neighbor 81 Apiary denizen • Obagi Products • Liposculpture
29 TV’s Nightline is part of 133 Greek peak 83 Auctioneer’s word • Skin Cancer Treatments
84 Scrabble conventions, e.g.
it, with 32 Across DOWN 85 Good place for a hanging
32 See 29 Across 86 Women in uniform
34 Contest 1 Go over again 88 Humdinger
35 Song originally titled 2 Singer Kitt 92 Take ___
3 Run away
“Et Maintenant” 4 Which way the wind blows, (feel deeply)
39 Went into the closet 95 Pointed tool
41 Layer perh. 97 North Pole worker
42 Viet region (or backward, 5 Vacation isle 99 Actor Gabriel
6 Like breakfast menus at some 100 Part of DJIA
Bible bread) 101 Proust’s Mme. Swann
43 Watcher of the skies: abbr. restaurants 102 Donkey holler
44 ___ Enter 7 Mr. Hyde’s creator 104 “___ differ”
46 Swingin’ Count 8 Banned spray 105 Dawn goddess
49 Rec center 9 Countdown finish 106 Organ givers
51 Élève’s roll call response 10 Follow 107 Hutu-Tutsi land
53 Black Sea port 11 Pepper preceder 108 Safecrackers
57 Rejoices 12 Gets too close to 110 Lowlife
59 1960s mantra 13 Stooge-struck 112 Mr. Heep
62 Express lane limit, often 14 Rises 117 Canaan ending
63 “___ true ...” 15 Popular Dutch beer, ___ Light 119 Slow to mingle
65 Teacher’s answer sheet 16 Little Pig’s building need 121 Taiwan’s monetary unit
66 Agent 99’s partner 17 Remote 122 Sp. ladies
67 Privates can’t pull it 18 Wise bird 124 Greek letter
68 Motto of the jaded 19 Little while 125 Overly
74 Goad 21 Podium prop 126 “So tasty!”
76 Samaritan’s gift 26 Cagey 127 Casper’s home: abbr.
77 “Love, Reign ___ Me” 28 Michael’s American President

(hit by The Who) co-star
78 Covert org. 30 Less optimistic
79 Decorative flap 31 Beat pounder
82 Speaking exercise 33 Reporter’s question
87 What’s My Line? panelist 36 Kite part
37 Part of a Campbell’s Soup
Francis
89 Franklin’s middle name jingle
90 Santa ___ CA 38 Skiing mecca
91 Would-be atty.’s test 40 Extinct bird
93 Fashion accessory 44 Backless couch
94 Word to a pest 45 “4” opener
96 Meadow 46 “Don’t ___ on it”
98 Mainframe language 47 Budget “cutter”
100 Popular clay, 48 El Paso football event
50 Encrusted,
Play-___
103 He wed Wallis: abbr. as grease
104 Kitchen compromise 52 Islands twixt Mozambique and

The Telegraph Proudly caring for patients over 28 years.

3790 7th Terrace, Suite 101, Vero Beach, Florida

772.562.5859

www.rosatoplasticsurgery.com

Ralph M. Rosato
MD, FACS





38 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be like you

BY CAROLYN HAX you can do is continue with your practice of cut- are “backbiting and nasty” more than they are
Washington Post ting off the gossip the moment it gets ugly. kind. We all have that prerogative, to keep nega-
tive influences out of our innermost rings.
Hi, Carolyn: I am No. 4 of seven It’s the right thing to do regardless. Choos-
children – six girls and one boy. ing not to participate is the first line of defense But you don’t need me to tell you that, so I’ll
Our oldest sister is mentally ill against distasteful conversations. assume you have your own reasons for not com-
and has been verbally abusive to pletely cutting these ties. It is an extreme gesture
us our whole lives. Our mother The only new thing I’d add is to give up, delib- and painful for those who might not be healthy
has pitted us against one another erately, any hope they’ll “get the message.” enough themselves to behave better, and so it’s
as well, which has made for a largely dysfunctional best reserved for when your own well-being de-
family. Our dad checked out long ago and has no You also always have the option, of course, to mands it.
contact with us. Now, at 59, I find myself largely estrange yourself from any family members who
ambivalent to my siblings and their constant dra- I also think there’s a different answer for your
ma. brother. He may have earned your ambivalence
Mom is in hospice and has no money. Our broth- to him, certainly – but whatever “credit” you’re
er and his wife have taken Mom in, for which I give giving him and his wife, it’s not enough. Because
him credit. She is ornery on a good day. My sisters it can’t be enough. Taking on the care of a criti-
are constantly backbiting and nasty to each other. cally ill relative is a form of everyday sainthood in
I live out of state, and with the current pandemic, I itself. To take in such a relative who has brought
will probably never see my mother again. misery to every life she touches? If he wants to
I have tried ending conversations that are osten- unload some stress, then the least you can do is
sibly to update me on Mom’s status, but that quick- hear him out. And if there’s any other way you can
ly become nasty gossip, which I cut off. You would support his effort from afar, be it to pick up some
think they would get the message, but they don’t. of the expenses or handle some remote tasks or
Any advice on what else I can do? just keep the sisters off his back, then consider
Wishing for Peace doing that, too.

Wishing for Peace: There aren’t many delicate Again, it’s not an eternal commitment. But
ways to say this, so I’ll try this one: These status even more important, it’s a bit of selflessness that
updates are a problem that will, apparently quite might ultimately unburden you. If you can look
soon, take care of itself, so I think the best thing back on these trying days and know you chose
even arm’s-length grace, then none of them – nei-
ther Mom nor siblings nor your own doubts – will
be able to take that away. 

CATHERINE MUSHAM ENGROSSED
IN THE ART OF THE SURREAL

40 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Catherine Musham engrossed
in the art of the surreal

BY ELLEN FISCHER | COLUMNIST She says that the colorful geometric
abstractions, one very much like the
Catherine Musham is that rare bird next, were a “phase” that began last
– an artist who thinks about her art. winter, when COVID-19 was starting to
She can look with a critical eye on her
creations and speculate about the Catherine Musham.
meaning of the hybrid creatures that
float through her surreal, symbol-filled PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES
paintings.

Not that she will try to tell you what
they mean. Suffice it to say that Mush-
am, who holds a Ph.D. from Tulane
University in social psychology, can
contemplate the hidden as well as overt
significance of her work, which comes,
she says, from her unconscious mind.

“My art is composed of messages,”
she says.

“They are visual, and beyond the
realm of linear thinking and words.
They mean one thing to one person,
and another thing to someone else.”

A tour of her studio, located in a
log house in a neighborhood off Ve-
ro’s Route 60 corridor, is filled with
dozens of the artist’s most recent
paintings, dating back about six
months B.C. (Before COVID).

The first stop is a screen porch
that leads to the studio proper.

“I tend to work in series,”
Musham says, indicating a
group of eight acrylic on can-
vas paintings arranged at one
side of the room.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 41

ARTS & THEATRE

is scribbled all over with words that Load,” “Anti-bodies?” and “Try bleach
suggest the fear, confusion and mis- or sunlight.” Little COVID molecules
information that have accompanied decorate the upper third of the painting.
the crisis, including “Chaos,” “Viral
CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

THE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY | CELEBRATING

CHEERS

TO FORGETTING 2020!

look like a world-wide problem. in her art pre-virus was a harbinger of Looking forward to a new year
At first Musham asserts that she the misery to come. celebrating fine American craft.

“doesn’t know why” she painted these Pointing to each painting in order, 2910 CARDINAL DRIVE, VERO BEACH • 772-234-6711 • THELAUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM
works. Musham says “he’s on the horizon
here, and here two humans are getting
Then she suggests, “I was trying to a little concerned (the virus is standing
maintain some sort of control over my atop the head of one of them). He infil-
environment.” trates into everyday life, but he’s a trick-
ster. Then in this one (the third paint-
Walking past a hand-painted sign ing in the row), COVID’s really gotten
that reads “Cabin Fever Art Studio,” into making people sick and some are
Musham leads the way into a spacious just terrified.”
room whose walls and rafters are made
of unadorned logs. The fourth painting depicts an ex-
ploding cloud of dust, from which three
She announces, “Here I got into the human silhouettes are being ejected
actual COVID,” and indicates a row of into space as a female witness gapes in
four small, square, acrylic on panel horror.
paintings propped on a nearby coun-
tertop. “In the final painting he’s finally
taken over. There’s no people left,” she
In each of the four, a creepy little says of her bleak imagery, in which the
character makes an appearance. It has COVID monster looms over a desolate
a strikingly imagined black and red landscape.
head (more like a helmet mask) with a
google eye placed on either side, like a “And this is my real COVID series,”
bird’s. Its mouth, set in a thin rictus, re- Musham says of the next group of large
veals an even set of teeth, and its body, paintings on canvas, positioned in the
when portrayed in its entirety, is that of southwestern corner of the studio.
a gaudy lizard.
“I really got into it this past summer.
Musham explains that although she This was the first one, then I kind of de-
developed this particular character in veloped it around that. A lot of this stuff
previous paintings, it was not until ear- is very political,” she acknowledges.
lier this year that she recognized the
imp as a personification of COVID-19. In one canvas, round human faces
Looking back at those paintings, she are superimposed atop what looks
thinks the appearance of the creature like a professor’s blackboard, which

42 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 conscious,” she says. Archetypal images are symbols, picto- on display in that culturally rich city.
Carl Jung was one of Freud’s young graphs or other elemental ways of por- Musham directs our attention to
And yet there is a humorous aspect to traying archetypes.
the artwork; Musham’s message is both disciples, until he formed his own “Deep Sleep,” a canvas she completed
playful and frightening. theories. Chief among them is the ar- Early in her career as a social psy- about 18 months ago, in which indige-
chetype, a concept by which he argued chologist, Musham lived for sev- nous American imagery, as well as oth-
She admits to having tired of ad- that certain powerful themes, beliefs eral years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, er symbolic forms and dream imagery,
dressing the disease in her art. and fears recur worldwide, through where she absorbed the artifacts of make an appearance.
dissimilar cultures and far-flung eras. the ancient native cultures that were
“It’s just so depressing. I’m getting An upright creature with a black cap
back to life’s creatures, and happier for a head, frilly fins (wings?) and a
people.” ragged (tentacled?) lower half, is some-
what reminiscent of a Hopi kachina, a
At this moment, the canvas that rests carved effigy of one of the many spirit-
on her working easel is sectioned into beings in that culture’s pantheon. Other
areas of lavender, blue, pink and gold, of Musham’s creations in this painting
above which mask-like faces and small include a seahorse’s body with a human
buildings float: a house, a turreted eyeball for a head, and a bird that is part
church (or is it a castle?), a barn. One fish. Also included in the composition
little yellow orb with several prickles are what looks like a quiver with arrows,
sticking from its surface might be a vi- and a figure eight on its side – the math-
ral mote, or it may be a representation ematical symbol of limitlessness.
of the sun; it’s your choice.
Concerning the kachina-like figure,
Says Musham, “I’ve always been in- Musham points out iterations of it in
terested in so-called ‘primitive’ art. I her other paintings on display.
think my style is primitive, but I hope it
is thought-provoking.” “It’s kind of a space man here; there
it’s something more of a fish. A lot of
What does she mean by primitive? the shapes that look like animals get in
“I would say, the symbols and the there unintentionally,” she says.
archetype, what Jung called the collec-
tive unconscious. It uses unconscious “Even if I try to suppress them, they
material, but when it emerges as, let’s still come out!” 
say, Grimm’s fairy tales, it becomes

COMING UP! Step into 2021 with exhilarating ‘First Day Hike’

BY PAM HARBAUGH McLarty Treasure Museum and the SE Walton Rd., Port St. Lucie. Call 772-
Correspondent Sebastian Fishing Museum. The Park 398-2779 or visit FloridaStateParks.org.
operates 24 hours, making it an ideal
1 America’s state parks have lined spot for stargazing as well. Sebastian 2 You’ve got until Sunday, Jan. 3 to
Inlet State Park is at 9700 S. Highway see the “Avery to Warhol” exhibi-
up to help you start 2021 off with A1A, Melbourne Beach. The entrance
a healthy new habit – hiking. Called is immediately on the north side of the tion at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.
“First Day Hike,” these events are held bridge going over Sebastian Inlet. You
all throughout the country on Friday, need to wear facemasks. Call 321-984- And, yes, the museum is now open.
Jan. 1. There are two such events near 4852 or visit FloridaStateParks.org. If
Vero Beach. At Sebastian Inlet State you’d rather take a guided hike, then However, the museum is taking the
Park, a self-guided hike begins 8 a.m. head south for a First Day Hike at the
and lasts until 5 p.m., going along the Savannas Preserve State Park in Port high road and doing it the smart way.
Hammock Trail. The program is free St. Lucie. There, Ranger Paul will walk
with park entry fees, which are $8 per you through trails near the park’s edu- Visitors need to wear masks. Tempera-
vehicle. While you’re there, you should cation center and canoe launch. That
plan to watch surfers ride “First Peak” ranger-guided walk is available from tures will be taken upon entering. So-
and “Monster Hole.” The park also 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. You can walk for
has a lot of appeal to those who like to as long or little as you like. The walk cial distancing is a must. And, if you’re
fish. And just walking along the sandy is free with park entry fee, which is $3
oceanfront you can find shells and en- per vehicle. The Savannas Preserve feeling sick, you’re urged to stay home.
joy the winds of a new year. Or, if you State Park is a basin marsh that once
have a kayak, you can venture into a covered part of Florida. It gives visi- You’re also urged to wash hands regu-
different area of the park, which co- tors a glimpse of what Florida’s indig-
zies up to the Indian River Lagoon. enous peoples and first pioneers saw larly and use hand sanitizers. And, you
There’s also a café and a pier, which in southeast Florida. There are pa-
is a great spot for relaxing and just vilions and picnic tables. Canoeing, should buy your tickets online. Now
looking out over the great expanse of kayaking, fishing and photography
a new year. The manmade Sebastian are welcomed activities. The park also that all the caveats are covered, here’s
Inlet slices through the barrier island has more than 17 miles of multi-use
to connect the Atlantic Ocean with trails. You’ll see people on foot, riding a look at what you will find upon vis-
the Indian River Lagoon. It comprises bicycles and even riding horses. The
1,000 acres of pristine Florida, two park also comprises a scrub habitat. iting the museum. The “Avery to War- the subconscious. She is a member of a
ocean jetties, boat launches, a marina, Savannas Preserve State Park is at 2541 group of young artists working in light.
51 campsites and two museums – the hol” exhibition has been curated from She has exhibited around the world
and her art is held in many private and
the museum’s permanent collection. public collections. To see how the in-
stallation at the Vero Beach Museum
A visit to the exhibition will bring you was done, visit VBMuseum.org, go to
“Exhibitions & Collections,” click onto
immediately to Henry Hubbell’s 1907 current exhibitions and then click
onto Chul Hyan Ahn. The Vero Beach
painting “Portrait of Three Sisters.” Museum of Art is at 3001 Riverside
Park Dr., Vero Beach. Admission is $8
This is significant because the three for non-members, $7 for non-member
seniors, and free to children under 17
sisters were daughters of the found- years of age. Call 772-231-0707 or visit
VBMuseum.org. 
ers of Vero Beach’s Riomar neighbor-

hood. Also on view is “Chul Hyun Ahn:

New Light,” which runs through April

30. The artist, who was born in Busan,

South Korea, works in light to com-

pose “Zen notions of the infinite and

the void.” Her work is influenced by

Op Art, light and space, and theories of

MR. FIX-IT: HEART ‘ELECTRICIAN’
TREATS RHYTHM PROBLEMS

44 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Mr. Fix-it: Heart ‘electrician’ treats rhythm problems

BY KERRY FIRTH Dr. Brett Faulknier. Faulknier and fellow electrophysi-
Correspondent ologist Dr. Fahad Ali.
PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE
The heart is a complex organ, and In layman’s terms, an electro-
if for some reason it starts beating physiologist is a cardiologist who
erratically it is important to seek the practices electrical cardiology and
advice of an electrophysiologist to helps people who are experiencing
assess your heart’s electrical system abnormal heartbeats or arrhythmia.
and determine the root of the ar-
rhythmia. The goal is to physically fix the
heart through a procedure called
Dr. Brett Faulknier, director of ablation. The doctor puts a thin,
electrophysiology at Cleveland flexible catheter into a blood ves-
Clinic Indian River Hospital in Vero sel in your leg and guides it to the
Beach, is a master heart electrician heart, where he looks for irregular
with a toolbox full of advanced tech- electrical signals. When the probe
nology designed to measure rhythm reaches the area that’s causing the
disturbance so appropriate treat- arrhythmia, the physician carefully
ment can be determined. destroys malfunctioning tissue us-
ing the catheter to deliver energy
Dr. Faulknier joined Indian Riv- (such as radiofrequency, laser or
er Medical Center, now known as cryotherapy) to scar the problem-
Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hos- atic area and get rid of the abnormal
pital, in 2016, the same year the circuit or electrical pathway.
hospital opened its state-of-the-art
electrophysiology lab and two sur- “The most common arrhythmia
gical suites, establishing its Welsh we treat is atrial fibrillation, or more
Heart Center as one of the most com- commonly referred to as AFib,” said
prehensive programs in the country. Dr. Faulknier. “This condition in-
Since then, more than 2,000 proce- creases as people age and it can be
dures have been performed by Dr. treated with medication or ablation
therapy.

$79

NEW PATIENT
SPECIAL

*CLEANING, COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM & X-RAYS

*Not to be used with other offers or
reduced fee plans. X-rays non-transferable.

(D0150) (D1110) (D0210) (D0330)

DENTAL LAB
ON PREMISES

COSMETIC DENTISTRY GUM SURGERY
GENERAL DENTISTRY WALK-INS WELCOME
DENTAL IMPLANTS FINANCING AVAILABLE

Locally Owned for 25 Years JULIE A. CROMER, DDS
Call 772-562-5051

CromerAndCairnsDental.com

The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to
refuse to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for payment for any other
services, examination, or treatment that is preformed as a result of and
within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for the free, discounted
fee, or reduced fee service, examination, or treatment.

1225 US HWY 1, VERO BEACH, FL 32960

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 45

HEALTH

“It’s a bit like arthritis for the heart well-being, then check with your it. I exercise between 4:30 a.m. and Cardiac Electrophysiology. Prior to
that causes the heartbeat to get doctor to make sure you are quali- 6 a.m. so I can be at my practice the joining IRMC, he served seven years
stiffer, a process called fibrosis. As fied before starting an exercise re- rest of the day. It actually does more as Section Director of Electrophysi-
the upper chambers of the heart ex- gime,” Dr. Faulknier advised. “That for me mentally than it does physi- ology and Associate Professor of
perience stiffness, so does the heart being said, most people with no cally as it helps me keep balanced Medicine at West Virginia Univer-
wiring and it simply doesn’t work as pre-existing conditions can start and clears my mind for my stressful sity Charleston. Faulknier received
well as it once did, causing abnor- exercising on their own. New Year’s job.” his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
mal rhythm. Some patients feel it, resolutions are great, but you need from West Virginia School of Os-
others don’t. It varies between indi- to do something to keep you moti- Being mindful of your heart and teopathic Medicine and earned fel-
viduals, but many notice a shortness vated. Finding like-minded people body is one of the most important lowships in Adult Cardiovascular
of breath and fatigue.” has worked for me because it keeps things you can do to increase your Disease and Cardiovascular Elec-
me accountable. quality of life. Pay attention to sub- t rophy siolog y.
AFib is the most common cause tle signs and if you find yourself
of strokes in the United States, al- “The key is consistency,” Dr. feeling chronically fatigued or short Dr. Faulknier is located at the
though sometimes when a stroke Faulknier continued. “You have to of breath, seek medical attention Health and Wellness Center. For more
patient arrives at the hospital the just show up and keep showing up. before it’s too late. information or to schedule an ap-
heart is beating normally. In order It doesn’t take a lot of time, but you pointment, call 772-226-4830. 
to pin down the source of the prob- need to schedule a time and stick to Dr. Faulknier is board certified in
lem, a heart rhythm monitoring re- Adult Cardiovascular Disease and
corder is implanted under skin to
monitor the heart rhythm 24/7. In
some cases, pacemakers and defi-
brillators are used to control irregu-
lar heartbeats by sending electrical
pulses to the heart.

With all the advances in tech-
nology, individuals can actually
self-monitor their own heartbeat
rhythm. According to Dr. Faulknier,
the Apple watch has an electrocar-
diogram app that can record your
heartbeat using an electrical heart
sensor and check that recording
for AFib. Other devices such as the
KariaMobile capture medical-grade
EKGs and store the data on your
phone. You can even email the EKG
to your doctor with the press of a
button.

“All of these technological advanc-
es with smartphones are becoming
very popular for the person who
may not qualify for a plant recorder
but wants to do aggressive monitor-
ing,” Dr. Faulknier said. “While they
may not be medical grade, they can
catch a problem early.”

Exercise is important to heart
health and Dr. Faulknier is a doc-
tor who practices what he preaches.
Lately he’s been doing ULTRA 100-
mile marathon running. “I’ve com-
pleted three 100-mile races,” he
said. “I placed first in my age group
in the Florida Keys race from Key
Largo to Key West. It was on flat ter-
rain and only took me 18 1/2 hours to
finish. It took me nearly double that
time – 35 hours – to complete the
100-mile course in the mountains of
Wyoming. Probably the most scenic
run was the 100-mile run across the
southern half of Great Britain.”

Dr. Faulknier started out his ex-
ercise program with small steps.
He got serious about exercising in
2009 and started running 5Ks, then
10Ks, then half marathons and mar-
athons. Eventually, he moved on to
triathlons, ironman competitions
and ultra-running.

“If you’ve had a history of chron-
ic disease or question your overall

46 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Health and wellness coaches stress motivation, positivity

BY LORNE DAVID OPLER Udell, 38, hired a health coach.
The Washington Post The primary goal of this new form

Desiree Udell, an artist, screen of lifestyle coaching is to encourage
printer and mother from Lilburn, positive behavior changes in areas
Ga., found herself frequently order- such as nutrition, physical fitness,
ing in meals during the pandemic. smoking cessation and stress man-
“With the challenges of self-quaran- agement. Although dietitians, per-
tining taking over my family’s life, sonal trainers and psychotherapists
I barely went out for groceries any- provide similar services, what makes
more,” she said. “We weren’t eating the United States’ 4,100 board-cer-
healthy at all. And I was stressed.” So tified health and wellness coaches
different is not so much what topics

they address, but how they address velop strategies to change their be-
them. havior that are personally meaning-
ful and self-directed.
“Health coaches believe a client is
already an expert in their own life “Health coaching is about the
and their own needs,” said Leigh- here and now,” said Barbara Powell,
Ann Webster, executive director of a board-certified integrative health
the National Board for Health and and well-being coach in Minneapo-
Wellness Coaching, established in lis. “Whereas mental health counsel-
2012, which administers the board- ors often focus on the past and how
certification exam and has estab- to dismantle traumas that impede
lished national standards for the present-day functioning, health
profession. “Often clients know what coaches focus on the here and now,
they want but haven’t found the mo- helping clients identify their current
tivation within themselves to get strengths to achieve their behavior-
where they want to go. That’s where change goals.”
health coaches can make a differ-
ence,” she said. That’s how Christopher Werler, 50,
a marketing consultant from Mon-
The client-directed approach to terey, Calif., found a way to moti-
health coaching is based on a coun- vate himself to exercise. “My coach
seling technique called motivation- probed me with questions that fo-
al interviewing. In this technique, cused on my strengths. One of them
health coaches ask nonjudgmental, is never being late for meetings,” he
open-ended questions that provide said. Working with his coach, Werler
opportunities for clients to explore devised a plan to exercise virtually
their motivation for change and, in with a friend, which capitalized on
collaboration with their coach, de- his ability to show up on time while

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 47

HEALTH

providing the companionship that at the Mayo Clinic. “A physician can cially accessible and sustainable for these standards. The organization
motivated him to work out. provide medical clearance and pro- it to have a lasting impact,” she said. certifies health and wellness coaches
vide guidelines for physical activity. “Financial concerns have a deep and who have successfully met and dem-
“The biggest focus today in health A registered dietitian can help you subtle impact that can distract from onstrated its coaching competencies
coaching is stress management, self- develop an individualized nutrition healing.” and who adhere to its ethical guide-
care and resilience training,” said plan, and a health and wellness coach lines; you can find a list of certified
Theresa Nutt, co-director of the Inte- can help you follow your healthy-liv- Furthermore, “there is the added coaches on its website, nbhwc.org.
grative Health and Wellbeing Coach- ing plan,” he said. benefit of community, which we are
ing Program at the University of Min- starving for these days, given how As for Udell, her health coach ed-
nesota. “Health coaches are working “Health and wellness coaches are isolated we feel due to COVID-19,” ucated her about online shopping,
with clients to develop skills that fos- trained in empathy, motivational in- said Michael Scholtz, founder of Vis- so she could safely order groceries;
ter resilience, so they can live opti- terviewing and behavioral counsel- tas Life Coaching in Asheville, N.C. recommended a meditation app for
mally under suboptimal conditions.” ing skills, and can help individuals her stress; and suggested exercises
set realistic goals.” But be aware that the field is unreg- to improve her physical and mental
They often take it in incremental ulated in the United States. Although health. “My coach not only taught me
steps. Powell gave the example of a With so many people out of work national standards were created for how to live healthier,” Udell said, “but
client who wanted to create a home- because of the pandemic, the ques- the profession by the National Board helped me overcome the obstacles of
workout space after deciding not to tion remains: How can those who for Health and Wellness Coaching living under COVID-19.” 
return to her gym once the pandemic may benefit most from health coach- in 2015, there is no law mandating
hit. ing afford it? One answer is the in-
creasing number of health insurance
“My client was overwhelmed with companies that provide free health
where to start,” she said. “If she com- coaching to their subscribers.
mitted to one hour in her home gym
every day, she knew she was setting Several insurance companies, such
herself up for failure. Instead, we as UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and
started with brief segments of exer- Blue Cross Blue Shield, provide free
cises she could do throughout the health coaching to their clients.
day that created a manageable foun-
dation for her to build on and relieve Amy Meister, chief executive of
her stress.” UnitedHealth Group’s Level2 digital
platform, which supports members
But the physical benefits from with Type 2 diabetes, is a strong ad-
health coaching are just as compel- vocate of health coaching. “Doctors
ling as the emotional ones, experts aren’t trained in motivational inter-
say. viewing. Health coaches are,” said
Meister, who is a physician. “Coaches
Margaret Moore, chief executive of introduce a new level of expertise
Wellcoaches and chair of the Insti- into the healthcare system, and they
tute of Coaching at McLean Hospital work closely with our clinical team.”
in Massachusetts, a Harvard Medical
School affiliate, said health coaches Kara Lee, a certified health and
can help obese people lose weight wellness coach with Kaiser Perma-
and reduce their chances of develop- nente, echoed Meister’s view. “Phy-
ing a serious case of COVID-19, the sicians are limited with how much
disease caused by the coronavirus. time they can spend with patients. I
can talk with a patient for 25 minutes
“Coaches play an important role at no cost and with no co-pays to the
in empowering people to cultivate member,” she said.
the intrinsic motivation, confidence
and habits needed to lose weight and If you don’t have health insurance
keep it off. Just a 5 percent reduction that covers health coaching or are
in body weight sustained over time low on financial resources, some
is significant in improving health,” health coaches in private practices
Moore said. are offering group sessions, which
can significantly reduce the cost.
Rather than replacing a dietitian or
physician, a health coach can be part Sherene Cauley, owner of the Nur-
of a weight loss team, said Matthew tured Life in Orland, Maine, is among
Clark, a clinical health psychologist them. “Coaching needs to be finan-

HARBOR PRIMARY CARE

THET L. TUN M.D.

Board Certified Internal Medicine

• Accepts Medicare

• Dr. Tun is an active member of
the medical staff at Cleveland Clinic

Indian River Hospital since 2011

1300 36TH ST, STE 1G • VERO BEACH, FL 32960

Medical Arts Center West of Hospital Emergency Department

PLEASE CALL 772-562-3960 FOR APPOINTMENT



Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 49

How coziness became the biggest trend of all in 2020

BY MELISSA TWIGG was warned about turning off men by
The Telegraph wearing too many cardigans. “Absurd,”

When Victoria Beckham recent- favor of Your grandmother was I scoffed, while dressed
ly posted a picture of herself on right: A cardi goes with every- in a gigantic chocolate
Instagram in a pair of skin-tight roomy, thick- thing brown Zara cardi cov-
PVC trousers that she dubbed her ered in flowers. From
#sexpants, we gawped – and not In a Noughties film I was well-behaved twinsets
just at her Pilates-trained bot- to Katie Holmes’ “bra-
tom. After months of lounging watching recently, the heroine digan” (knitted cardi over
in our pajamas, the thought of knitted bralet), via countless
wearing something quite so un- crystal-embellished designer
comfortable as high-waisted plastic iterations, cardigans have trans-
trousers was as likely as Victoria reviv- formed from girl-next-door to su-
ing her singing career. permodel-status.
Of course they have. They
This may not have been a dazzling go with everything, and are
year for fashion but it has taught us one a guaranteed mood lifter.
important lesson: Comfort is king. Af- Throw a Shrimps cardi over
ter a lifetime of concentrating on what a shirt to fashion-up a Zoom
makes us look good, a lot of us finally call, put on an & Other Sto-
learnt to appreciate the clothes that ries round-collar number
make us feel good. This is something and some dangly earrings
men have always done, but for women to make a plain T-shirt
it can feel quietly revolutionary. and jeans look fun, or add
a stripey Alexa Chung
Which is not to say we shouldn’t knit to a simple dress for
make an effort to dress up, just that New Year’s Eve on the
feeling attractive doesn’t require high sofa. Buttoned-up has
heels or push-up bras – or skin-tight never been so fun. 
PVC. A swishy skirt worn with a thick
sweater can make you feel great, while soled shoes we
embellished or colorful knitwear can
be as thrilling as a pair of red-soled can wriggle
heels or a new It-bag. Here are the com-
fort lessons I learnt from 2020. our toes in.

Posh pajamas are worth the cost My summer
We’ve all eaten meals, attended work
meetings and even gone on virtual was spent in Birkenstocks or sneakers,
dates in our pajamas this year. Wear-
ing nightwear during the day has be- and autumn has been even less dainty.
come a new normal, while spending a
Tuesday in a tracksuit is no longer the Most days, I’m either in chunky black
indictment on your life it once was.
Although if you’re anything like me Chelsea boots, thick-soled Sloane
you may have started the year with a
drawer full of ratty pajamas and track- Ranger loafers, sneakers or square-toe
suit trousers with a mysterious stain
on the knee and ended it with the sort black flats. None of them are actively
of luxurious silk and cashmere sets a
Hollywood diva would be proud of. ugly, but they are the aesthetic op-
Yes they can be eye-wateringly expen-
sive, but they last forever – and one of posite of anything Ivanka or Melania
the greatest pleasures to be had in a
dreary winter like this one is pulling Trump would wear. Happily they go
on a pair of cashmere trousers after a
bath. Bliss. with almost everything, let me walk for

There is beauty in chunky shoes miles – and tellingly, I haven’t had one
The bad news is that Crocs and Ugg
boots are back. The good news is that blister all winter.
comfortable, chunky – and, yes, flatter-
ing – shoes are everywhere. The pan- Comfortable underwear can be sexy
demic has been a blessing for women’s Underwear sales are up this year
feet: In 2020 heels have vanished and and while some commentators have
even pointy flats have been indefinite- suggested it’s a sign that couples are
ly relegated to the back of wardrobes in reigniting a spark that has fizzled after
months working side by side, I think
that in year of hardship, women have
looked at their underwired bras and
uncomfortable thongs and thought
‘enough’.
For too long we were sold the lie that
pain was beauty when it came to sexy
underwear – but 2020 has shown the
inverse is true. And thankfully the
shops are responding: Zara is now
selling silky briefs that cover your
whole bottom, Chité has bras and
pants that feel buttery soft against
your skin, while leggings brands like
Lululemon have brought stretchy ma-
terial to your pants drawer.

50 Vero Beach 32963 / December 31, 2020 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

The 12 best-dressed women of the year – and they’re all over 40

BY BETHAN HOLT, EMILY CRONIN, sons – including interest in how the down in style. So Burch leaned into Britain’s favorite French-ish ac-
CAROLINE, LEAPER, HIKMAT MOHHAMED, U.S.’ first female VP will remake the designer dog-walking attire (Chick- tress (she’s lived there since she was
second-highest office in the land in en and Slim, we love you), cozy-luxe 19) deserves a permanent spot on any
MELISSA TWIGG AND KRISSY TURNER her own image. Expect modern tai- fireside outfits (knitwear galore) and best-dressed list. Few women wear
The Telegraph loring, statement pearl necklaces and stay-at-home sequins (an all-yellow a tuxedo with as much panache as
the right shoes – Converse sneakers or outfit looked as good on her as it did in Thomas, and she suits other forms of
Kamala Harris, 56 Manolo stilettos – for every occasion. her brand’s New Bond Street boutique tailoring, too – she was the one upside
Madame Vice President has a nice EC window). Bravo, Ms. Burch. EC of an otherwise unremarkable “Re-
ring to it, doesn’t it? Harris’ ascen- becca,” chilling as the sharp, severe,
dance is historic for so many rea- Tory Burch, 54 Jet Shenkman, 59 skirt-suited Mrs. Danvers. She’s also
prescient: The long-sleeved gold dress
she wore to the premiere of “Military
Wives” would be just the thing to wear
for a relaxed but gleaming Christmas
on the sofa. EC

Claudia Schiffer, 50

Tory Burch was always going to
make the year of staying home look
good. She dabbled in aspirational in-
teriors before 2020 (her lettuceware is
the stuff of crockery dreams), and the
year’s homebound vibe provided the
perfect opportunity for her to hunker

Jet Shenkman’s label Eponine spe- What does 50 look like now? Accord-
cializes in couture occasionwear, but ing to the supermodel Claudia Schiffer,
the designer has an effortless and joy- who celebrated her milestone birthday
ful way of styling herself which really in August, it’s wearing an electric blue,
resonated this year. The essential ele- sheer crochet dress while counting up
ments of her look? A fabulous Eponine Instagram “likes.” Designers including
fit-and-flare dress or neat dog-tooth Dolce & Gabbana and Donatella Ver-
suit paired with a statement yet prac- sace launched new products in honor
tical pair of shoes (Vans are a favorite) of Schiffer’s 50th. During the year’s
plus an exuberant hair accessory and lockdowns, her regular outfit posts
chunky tortoiseshell glasses. BH have been fun to follow – as well as the
party dresses, she does a lot of good,
Kristin Scott Thomas, 60 practical denim looks too. CL

Gabriela Hearst, 44