12/22/2022 ISSUE 51

December 22, 2022 | Volume 9, Issue 51 | Newsstand Price: $1.00 | For breaking news visit VeroNews.com

YOUR LOCAL NEWS SOURCE FOR INDIAN RIVER COUNTY

MY TAKE The wait for the Seaside Grill to reopen goes onPHOTO:JOSHUAKODIS Criticism mounts
of impending Vero
BY RAY MCNULTY By Samantha Rohlfing Baita | Staff Writer being assessed, and neither the lessee, GC Ven- utility rate hikes
[email protected] tures, nor the lessor, Indian River County, cur-
A special Christmas for rently knows how long that wait will be. By Lisa Zahner | Staff Writer
survivor of heart attack The scores of eager fans chomping at the bit [email protected]
for the reopening of their beloved Seaside Grill, a Since receiving the keys this past July, Stude-
Cliff Norris Jr. had felt this pain popular, longtime eatery in Jaycee Park, will have baker (co-owner with partner Wiley Wong) and Vero Beach’s new “One Rate”
in his right arm before, so he to wait longer than originally anticipated. his local crew have worked on what he initially utility plan, designed to put all
wasn’t particularly alarmed as he of its water-sewer customers on
walked from the parking lot across A couple of recently discovered issues are CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 the road to steeper rates in Jan-
from Riverside Theatre toward the uary, hasn’t even gone into effect
east end of the Barber Bridge. Elite Airways says it yet and it’s attracting criticism
still plans to resume from outside-the-city custom-
Then, suddenly, came another flights to Vero shortly ers to the north and south.
pain – one the longtime island res-
ident and realtor had never experi- By Ray McNulty | Staff Writer Year’s,” Pearsall wrote, adding that the announce- On Tuesday, South Beach cus-
enced – in his jaw. [email protected] ment will include an explanation as to why the bou- tomer Doug DeMuth asked the
tique airline hasn’t flown since June 30. County Commission to inter-
“I remember saying to myself, Elite Airways president John Pearsall said last vene on behalf of out-of-city res-
‘Lord, what’s that?’” Norris said, weekend he expects the carrier to resume commer- Pearsall’s remarks surprised Vero Beach Airport Di- idents whose homes have been
recalling what would become a cial jet service at Vero Beach Regional Airport early rector Todd Scher, who said Monday he’s “anxious to stuck on Vero’s utility system
frightening and life-altering Satur- next year. find out what Elite’s future plans are.” without a valid franchise agree-
day afternoon in early October. “It ment for the past five years.
definitely got my attention.” “We intend to return first quarter 2023,” Pearsall CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
texted Saturday in response to questions from Vero “The City of Vero Beach staff
Still, he kept walking, turning News. Elite will issue a press release “right after New continues to post rate infor-
left onto the sidewalk on the south mation without a detailed en-
gineering design construction
side of Beachland estimate for their new waste-
Boulevard. Before water treatment plant in place.
he could reach This puts the cart before the
the bridge, how- horse. They need to provide the
ever, his vision public with an detailed project
began to blur and cost, its degree of accuracy and
he felt lighthead- its impact on our future rates,”
Cliff Norris Jr. ed, so much so
that he stopped CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
and grabbed the sidewalk railing.
“Even then, I thought it would No holiday surge
pass,” said Norris, who turned yet in COVID-19
57 earlier this month. “That was infections here
the last thing I remember before
blacking out.” By Lisa Zahner | Staff Writer
Those symptoms, he would [email protected]
later learn, were the onset of a
massive heart attack, caused by a Heading into Christmas week,
total blockage of the left anterior the number of COVID-19 infec-
descending artery – a heart attack tions locally held steady at 98
commonly known as the “widow new cases, but COVID hospi-
maker,” because it’s so often fatal. talizations here rose 33 percent
Somehow, though, Norris sur- from the previous week.
vived.
“I guess the Lord still has a plan CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
for me,” he said, openly embracing

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

INSIDE CONTEMPORARY ARTIST’S GUARD AGAINST
WORKS MESMERIZE IN STRESS DURING
NEWS 1-7 ARTS B1 THE HERE AND NOW THE HOLIDAYS

HEALTH 8 GAMES B9 In Arts & Theatre, Page B2 Your Health, P. 8

PETS B9 CALENDAR B12

REAL ESTATE 15

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2 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

ELITE AIRWAYS would be “all positive stuff” designed to UTILITY RATE HIKE ing the Shores to sue them, again, for
give the carrier “a lot more longevity.” breach of contract.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Vero Beach officials – along with frus- The Vero council-approved water
He said last week he hadn’t heard from trated Elite customers in the community DeMuth said. and sewer rates will be significantly
Pearsall since the Elite executive visited – are still waiting for that announcement. “I ask that the Board of County higher than published county rates.
the airport a month ago and told him, “Ev- Over the next three years, customers
erything is in place. We’re ready to go.” Scher said the airport staff continues to Commissioners to look into this situ- will see a cumulative increase of near-
field calls from local residents seeking re- ation and publicly inform county rate ly 80 percent on their sewer bills un-
Scher said he told Pearsall during that funds for canceled flights, but they cannot payers about what their future rates der the One Rate plan.
conversation what conditions Elite must reach anyone at Elite’s customer-service will become,” DeMuth said.
meet before the airline will be allowed to phone number. “I suspect they are going to charge
resume service here – pay the $6,600-plus A large portion of the rate increase the One Rate to the Indian River
it owes the city in overdue fees, and pro- “We get calls from people who want will be set aside to pay debt service on Shores customers but it is not clear
vide proof of insurance. us to be responsible for the fares they’ve the new sewer plant slated to be built to us,” Shores Mayor Brian Foley said,
paid,” he said. on Vero Beach Regional Airport land. noting that the council approved a
The city was notified in August that Initial estimates say the plant will cost provision not to increase town cus-
Elite’s insurance had expired. “All we can do is refer them to the U.S. $82 million, plus about $74 million in tomers’ reuse irrigation water rates
Department of Transportation website, financing costs, for a total of $156 mil- due to pending litigation over those
The carrier has been barred from using where they can file a complaint with the lion, to be paid over 30 years. rates. “Until we get a bill I don’t know.”
the terminal or any other passenger facili- agency’s consumer-affairs office.
ties at the airport until it satisfies those ob- But the city has not received any The town sued Vero over reuse irri-
ligations, Scher said, adding that Pearsall “I’ve heard back from some folks who’ve actual bids on constructing the new gation water rates in 2019. Vero won
has not provided any specific reasons for gotten satisfaction that way.” plant. Utility staff is in the process a summary judgment but the Shores
the Elite’s absence the past few months. of preparing a bid packet on the appealed Circuit Court Judge Jan-
Pearsall, however, has continued to membrane equipment. The choice et Croom’s ruling and that appeal is
“I have no idea what’s going on,” Scher offer only positive comments regarding of membranes, Utility Director Rob pending.
said last week, before Pearsall’s text ex- Elite’s plans and its future here. Bolton said, will determine the design
change with this newspaper. “He tells you of the plant. The town’s lawyers sent Vero City
something is in the works, then you don’t When Breeze Airways announced in Oc- Attorney John Turner a letter last week
hear anything.” tober plans to offer commercial jet service The rest of the added revenue will asking Turner to clarify the city’s in-
connecting Vero Beach to Hartford, Conn., go toward operating costs. Those tentions by this Friday. Turner is on
Elite’s lack of transparency has spawned Westchester County, N.Y., and Norfolk, Va., costs have been increasing due to in- vacation this week so it’s unclear if
several industry rumors, including some Pearsall called it “great news” and said, flation and government regulation, he’ll meet the deadline, but the city’s
that claimed the airline was being sold, “We welcome competition.” but the utility still returns a profit of response will likely determine what
that Pearsall was taking on a partner, and more than $1 million annually which happens next.
that the carrier lacked the financial means He then said Elite would make its an- it transfers to Vero’s general fund.
to operate. nouncement in approximately 15 days. There’s been no serious discussion Vero City Manager Monte Falls has
of ending those transfers, which Vero stated publicly numerous times that
In mid-September, Pearsall said Elite That was two months ago. says are the fair rate of return for city the new rates would be charged to all
would issue a press release within a couple In the meantime, Scher said, he and taxpayers as owners of the utility. In of Vero’s customers.
of weeks, adding that the announcement his staff are continuing with their prepa- fact, the 6 percent general fund trans-
rations for Breeze’s arrival. fers will increase as revenues rise. The rate consultant’s financial
The airline is scheduled to begin ser- modeling was built upon the premise
vice here on Feb. 15.  Vero has been serving South Beach that every Vero utility customer, in-
customers without a valid franchise cluding the 15 percent of customers
agreement, so those customers’ rates in the Town of Indian River Shores,
are simply set by ordinance by the would pay the new rates.
City Council.
It would be shocking for Vero Beach
The Town of Indian River Shores to reverse course on that now.
has a franchise agreement in force
through October 2027 wherein Vero When utility bills hit in January with
pledges to match Indian River County the new rate hikes included, if Indian
Utilities’ low rates for Shores custom- River Shores’ ratepayers’ bills include
ers. But Vero might impose the new the new rates approved last week, the
rate hikes in January anyway – dar- town will have no choice but to take
some sort of legal action, sooner or
later. 

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS December 22, 2022 3

SEASIDE GRILL A recent visit by Vero News found the PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS ing capacity: 65 outside, 35 inside.
building closed up with no work crew or Already in place, comfy and colorful
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 owner on the property, the old hood sit- tomers ordered and where they sat.”
ting rusted and forlorn on the now empty Even as he spoke, a longtime patron seating will reflect the updated restaurant’s
called “more of a facelift.” But late in the south patio. beachy white and blue color scheme, in-
summer, the county determined a more stopped to say good morning – and ask side and out.
extensive kitchen equipment update Before the hood issue was identified, about the ETA.
would be required. Studebaker, who has spent most days As before, restaurant patrons will con-
working on site with his crew, said walk- When Studebaker told him probably a tinue to have access to the city’s nearby
In August, Studebaker had said, “We at ers passing by wave and call to him all day few more weeks, the patron replied with a Jaycee Park restrooms.
first estimated it’d take about six weeks; long, asking how the renovation is going, grin, “Be still, my beating heart!”
now it looks like 11, as we found more we eager for the reopening of the familiar eat- A major change will be the hours of
needed/wanted to do.” ery they were afraid they had lost. The little restaurant by the sea had stood operation. Previously open at 7 a.m. and
vacant since April 22, when longtime oper- closing in mid-afternoon, Studebaker said
Shortly thereafter, according to Stude- Laughing, Studebaker has said he al- ators Dan and Rose Culumber decided to that for the first week or two, during the
baker, an inspection revealed that the ready knows a lot about “what former cus- retire after three decades. “very soft” opening, “it’ll be 7 a.m. to 5
hood – a vital element in a commercial p.m. We’ll see how the flow goes.”
kitchen – would have to be replaced. Under its new owners, the Seaside
Grill’s 2,500-square-foot footprint re- Then, when all the opening wrinkles
At that time, as the county and Stude- mains virtually the same, as will the seat- are smoothed out, it’ll be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
baker’s engineer considered the potential which, according to City Manager Monte
extent of the kitchen project, other issues Falls, would be “well within” the city code
presented themselves which could add parameters.
time and money to the project pricetag
and the long-awaited opening date. Studebaker and Wong intend to operate
the Vero Beach business themselves, while
The hood replacement alone already staff handles their several South Florida
adds significantly to the initially projected restaurants.
$100,000-plus renovation price tag; and
bumps forward the projected opening Since the news of the hood replacement
date, based on how long it will take to get requirement and the possibility of further
the new unit on site, install it, pass inspec- hold-ups, the personable Studebaker is un-
tion and get a permit in hand. derstandably hesitant to spitball an opening
date, instead stating, “It’s all part of the pro-
The county building department has indi- cess; a work in progress. It is what it is. We’re
cated the permit is on hold because “the con- all working together on getting it open.”
tractor is currently inactive, and the contrac-
tor, local firm Milton Mayberry Enterprises, With supply chains disrupted, building
says it is awaiting word from (the boots on projects delayed across the globe, and the
the ground at the site) as to when the vital extent of the current problem still being
hood-related work can move forward. assessed, the bright little blue-and-white
restaurant will have to wait a while longer
for its much-anticipated Big Reveal. 

4 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

Fire at golf club causes $1M in damages

By Lisa Zahner | Staff Writer but the building had heavy smoke and
[email protected] water damage.

An electrical fire in a John’s Island Golf “The cart barn was right next to a
Club maintenance building caused $1 building that had pallets of fertilizer in
million in damage to the structure and it, and the fire was about 100 yards north
the expensive equipment stored inside. of the golf club. That was our goal – to
not let the fire spread to any other build-
Indian River Shores Public Safety of- ings,” Shaw said.
ficers were dispatched on Dec. 1 in re-
sponse to a fire alarm at 115 Silver Moss It took firefighters six minutes to ar-
Drive, where a golf cart that had been left rive at the cart barn from the station,
charging after the course closed for the and another 44 minutes to extinguish
evening caught fire. the blaze. 

Also in the building were 20 commer-
cial mowers used to manicure the greens.
Black smoke billowed up from the burn-
ing rubber tires and fuel as crews ap-
proached the golf maintenance complex.

Deputy Chief Mark Shaw said the
building was fully engulfed when crews
arrived, and the Shores called in help
from Indian River County Fire-Rescue.
The Orchid and Riverside Park stations
both sent units to assist.

When firefighters tried to enter
through the roll-up bay doors of the cart
barn, they found the fire had burned so
hot that the metal tracks of the doors
had melted. County firefighters cut
through the doors so crews could douse
the blaze. They managed to save a por-
tion of the structure from burning down,

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Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS December 22, 2022 5

Strunk Funeral Home owners accuse judge of bias in latest case twist

By Ray McNulty | Staff Writer rent payments are due on the first day of um owner James Young Jr. would be free to mention of her stepchildren in her paid obit-
[email protected] each month. Both the bond and rent will go sell or lease the property, if he so desired. “It’s uary.
into the court registry, which will hold those good for our case because it allows Jimmy
One week after a circuit judge ordered monies until the case is concluded. some flexibility,” Vocelle said. As for the rent, Croom said she deter-
Strunk Funeral Home & Crematory to post mined the amount based on “competent,
a $3.1 million bond and pay $25,800 per “Bond is supported by the evidence,” Croom said the bond amount was equal to substantial evidence” and it isn’t speculative.
month during the remainder of its ongoing Croom said in issuing her ruling. the price Young paid to purchase the Strunk
legal battle, the company’s owners filed a properties from Glenn Strunk’s widow, Doro- She said the bond and rent amounts are
motion accusing her of being “biased” and If Strunk fails to submit the bond to the thy, in June 2021. “reasonable,” based on the damages Millen-
asking that she recuse herself from the case. Clerk of Court’s Office within the allotted 20 nium has shown will likely result if the court
days, Croom ruled, the existing lis pendens Two days before his death, Glenn Strunk rules the lis pendens was “unjustified.”
Circuit Judge Janet Croom denied the mo- – legal notice that a lawsuit has been filed gave the business to his three adult children,
tion – without explanation or comment – less disputing ownership of the properties – will who claim their stepmother didn’t have the If Millennium wins the case, Young would
than three hours after it was filed earlier this automatically be discharged. legal authority to sell the properties. Dorothy not be entitled to the entire $3.1 million, “but
month. Strunk died this past May, and there was no he would be able to file a claim against that
If the lis pendens is discharged, Millenni- money for damages,” Vocelle said. 
Attorney Richard Sneed, who represents
the Strunk owners, did not respond to mes-
sages left at his office, so it was unknown
whether they would appeal Croom’s deci-
sion. As of Monday morning, no appeal had
been filed.

The motion to disqualify Croom was the
latest twist in a multifaceted case in which
Strunk president Mary Strunk Kopchak and
her siblings are challenging Millennium Fu-
neral Home’s ownership of the properties
on which their business operates. Kopchak
is the daughter of Glenn Strunk, who owned
and operated the funeral home for 47 years
before his death in February 2020.

In the filing, Kopchak claimed in a sworn
statement that Croom’s conduct and com-
ments during a Dec. 1 hearing, which last-
ed more than eight hours, caused her to
question the judge’s impartiality and doubt
whether Strunk would be treated fairly at fu-
ture hearings and if the case goes to trial.

Kopchak accused Croom of implying that
her testimony during cross-examination was
“being coached,” and scolded her and Sneed
in a “very derogatory, condescending and
pejorative tone.”

She also alleged that Croom “advocated”
of behalf of one opposing attorney during
questioning and seemed to favor another at-
torney throughout the hearing in which the
judge ordered Strunk to post the $3.1 mil-
lion bond and pay an additional $25,800 per
month in rent until the case is resolved.

Kopchak goes on to state that her con-
cerns about Croom’s actions prompted her
to make inquiries into the judge’s relation-
ship with Vero Beach attorney Buck Vocelle,
who is representing Millennium.

Those Dec. 2 inquiries, Kopchak claims,
revealed:

 Croom previously had worked at Vo-
celle’s law firm.

 Vocelle’s firm once represented in a
lawsuit a redevelopment company in which
Croom’s husband, David, was a partner.

 Local attorney George Collins Jr., who is
a material witness in the Strunk-Millennium
case, is a partner in a law firm that represent-
ed Croom and her husband in a real estate
matter.

Kopchak stated that Croom did not dis-
close those possible conflicts to Strunk.

Vocelle declined to comment.
In her Dec. 1 ruling, Croom ordered that
Strunk post the bond by Dec. 21, and the

6 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

MY TAKE tion procedure that helped diagnose the ex-
tent of the blockage.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The following Monday, doctors told him
his Christian faith, “because it’s a miracle how dangerously close he came to dying
that I’m here.” on that sidewalk.

At the very least, it was a fortuitous twist “I’ll never forget one doctor coming in
of fate that someone was driving by, no- and telling me: ‘Don’t bother buying a Flor-
ticed the fallen pedestrian on the sidewalk, ida Lottery ticket. You just cashed yours
and immediately stopped to help. in,’” Norris said.

It was mere coincidence, however, that A stent wasn’t an option, so, on the morn-
the woman who came to his aid was some- ing of Oct. 12 – four days after his heart
one he knew – Justine Buck, whose hus- attack – cardiac surgeon Mariano Brizzio
band, Jim, had retired earlier this year af- performed coronary bypass surgery, a four-
ter 27 years as tennis director at the Orchid hour procedure that corrected the problem.
Island Golf & Beach Club.
“Everything went smoothly,” Norris said.
For those who don’t know: Norris, who “They had me up and walking the hospital
grew up at John’s Island, was a top junior hallways the next day.”
who starred at Vero Beach High School be-
fore going on to play at Vanderbilt Univer- He was released from the hospital a week
sity, and he’s well-known in the local ten- later and, grateful to be back in his Pebble
nis community. Bay home, continues to recover. He returned
to work last month.
“She just happened to be coming over
the bridge, on her way to visit her mother The 9-inch scar on his chest is still sore –
at John’s Island, when she saw someone on he’ll show it to friends who want to see it –
the ground,” Norris said. “She didn’t know but he’s now walking more than two miles
it was me. We hadn’t seen each other in a per day and has begun light workouts at a
couple of years.” local gym. A healthy glow has returned to
his face. He hopes to start playing tennis
In fact, Buck didn’t realize she was tend- again in February.
ing to a friend until a Vero Beach police of-
ficer arrived at the scene and asked a dis- Norris also has committed to a more-
oriented Norris for his name. healthy diet. He’s finally on the cholesterol
medication he should’ve been taking for
“That’s when I heard her say, ‘Cliff? It’s years. And at 215 pounds, he plans to re-
Justine,’” Norris said. sume his efforts to lose weight, but with
more wisdom this time.
He doesn’t know how long he was un-
conscious – he believes it was for only a It was his frenzied push to shed weight
couple of minutes – but he remembers – after too many years of high cholesterol
opening his eyes and seeing blood and his and eating the wrong foods, as well as be-
broken sunglasses on the sidewalk. ing too sedentary for too long – that con-
tributed to his heart attack.
“I don’t remember hitting the ground, but
I must’ve face-planted,” Norris said. “When This past spring, after more than a year
I first opened my eyes, I didn’t know where I away, Norris returned to the tennis court.
was or what had happened.” When he wasn’t playing matches, he was
rallying with friends, hitting against a ball
By the time a Fire Rescue ambulance ar- machine or practicing serves.
rived, though, he had regained his senses.
He continued that regimen throughout
“I was awake and lucid,” he said. “If the summer, and it produced results: He
you had told me to walk it off, I probably dropped 20 pounds and weighed just over
would’ve tried, but I knew I was in trouble. 220 on Oct. 8, when he stepped onto the
I knew it was my heart. I knew there was court to play a singles match in a Boulevard
something really, really wrong.” Tennis Club-sponsored tournament.

How wrong? Norris would find out after “We played at noon in the heat of the day,
being transported to Cleveland Clinic Indi- and it was about 90 degrees,” Norris said. “I
an River Hospital, where he underwent two knew I had to get out of there in two sets, be-
days of tests, including a heart catheteriza- cause I didn’t have a third set in me.”

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS December 22, 2022 7

Norris played well and went aforementioned arm pain he began notic- NO HOLIDAY COVID SURGE greater spread of the virus in the commu-
on to win in straight sets, but ing two years ago. nity. Locally, Indian River County’s case
the match lasted more than 90 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 positivity rate on the most recent report
minutes. “I definitely ignored some red flags, and showed 10.4 percent of those who tested
that’s on me,” Norris said. “I didn’t know Prior to Thanksgiving, Indian River were infected with COVID-19.
“I’m usually good about not I was about to have a heart attack, but I County was reporting between 60 and 70
pushing myself too hard, but should have known something was wrong, new cases per week. That jumped to 97 Those numbers only include people
that tennis match forced me to and I should’ve done something about it. the week ending Dec. 1. The next week who tested through a lab, pharmacy or
go hard for almost two hours, saw 93 cases, then 98 for the week ending medical office that reports to the Florida
and that put me over the edge,” “This was going to happen eventually, Dec. 15. Department of Health. At-home test kit
he said. “I was tired, sopping some day in some way,” he continued. “I results are not captured in the statistics
wet and huffing and puffing on was stubborn, and I’m 100-percent respon- Hospitalizations were up from nine unless a patient turns up for medical care.
changeovers. Believe me, I was sible for my actions. I can only hope me last week. “We have 12 COVID-positive
relieved when it was over. telling my story can help another stubborn patients in-house today, one of which is Public health officials are still predict-
guy out there.” in critical care (not on mechanical venti- ing a winter “tripledemic” of influenza,
“But I felt fine when I left the lation),” said Cleveland Clinic spokesper- respirator syncytial virus (RSV) and Omi-
club.” In the meantime, Norris is looking for- son Erin Miller on Monday. cron subvariants of COVID-19. Hard-hit
ward to fully embracing the spirit of a Christ- cities such as the Los Angeles and New
With his wife, son and daughter all out mas made extra special by what he’s con- According to the Florida Department York metropolitan areas are already rec-
of town, Norris returned home with only vinced was another miracle. of Health’s monthly reporting, six Indian ommending residents resume mask wear-
two other items on his to-do list: Show a River County residents died from com- ing as emergency departments and urgent
house to a potential buyer at 4 p.m., and “This Christmas will feel different,” he plications of COVID-19 infection from care clinics fill with sick people.
dinner with his father at 6:30 p.m. said. “I’m just so thankful for all the miracles mid-November to mid-December, bring-
in my life – my marriage, my family, my busi- ing the county’s pandemic death toll to This surge of infections is happening
Then the buyer canceled. ness, and especially my health.”  767. despite New York and California being
“I weighed myself when I got home, and in the top one-fourth of states for the
I was 221, which made me think: If I lose Statewide, the number of new COVID percentage of fully vaccinated residents,
two more pounds, I’ll be under 220 for infections reported to the health depart- with between 75 percent and 80 percent
the first time in years,” Norris said. “I had ment has been rising steadily over the past of people having at least two covid shots,
some free time before dinner, so I decided few weeks, nearly doubling since Thanks- depending upon the government source
to walk the bridges. giving. Friday’s report showed 22,572 new cited.
“It’s about six miles all the way around cases statewide, up from 12,150 cases the
– from Riverside Park over both the Barber week ending Thanksgiving Day. Vaccine uptake is still rather low state-
and 17th Street bridges and back to the wide in Florida, as only 35,000 of the
park – but I go at an easy pace.” The statewide case positivity rate has state’s 22.2 million people lined up for a
So off he went. also been rising steadily from 8.9 during shot last week. Only 7.7 million Floridians,
To be sure, there were warning signs, Thanksgiving week to 13.1 in mid-Decem- roughly one third, have completed a two-
including at least one recent episode of ber. Keeping the case positivity rate under dose regimen of covid vaccine. Eighty-six
lightheadedness, blurred vision and an 10 percent is the goal of public health of- percent of those people went on to get at
irregular heartbeat. There was also the ficials as a higher positivity rate indicates least one booster dose. 

8 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.com

Guard against stress, illness – and peril – during the holidays

By Kerry Firth | Correspondent to occur, possibly resulting in an injury. Dr. Samantha La Qua.
When putting Christmas ornaments
The holiday season with all its happy PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS
moments and fun activities also brings away, don’t place them on a couch or lay
unforeseen dangers and emotional trig- them on the floor where a child can reach
gers. A lot of accidents and illness occur them if children are around.
during and in the aftermath of holidays,
according to Dr. Samantha La Qua, a fam- Besides the danger of broken glass
ily medicine physician affiliated with HCA and cuts, “kids are curious and they will
Florida St. Lucie Hospital. put anything they can reach into their
mouths,” cautioned Dr. La Qua. “We see
“We notice that heart attacks occur lat- a lot of instances of choking this time of
er in the day during the holidays because year, not only from decorations but from
people want to spend every minute they small parts of the new toys they received
can with their family and they will often for Christmas.”
ignore the warning signs,” Dr. La Qua
said. “Chest pain is often mistaken for in- The risk of infections rises at the holi-
digestion, so someone may wait until af- days, too.
ter the family meal to address it. Or they
dismiss the pain because they don’t want “The cooler weather that comes with
to disrupt the family gathering. Christmas brings with it a surge in re-
spiratory viruses that are easily trans-
“That could be a fatal mistake. If you are mitted during family gatherings,” Dr. La
experiencing chest pain, don’t wait. Go to Qua said. “We are seeing an increase in
the emergency room or urgent care and get COVID, the flu and RSV in children this
it checked out.” year, due in part to less masking, which
makes it easier to transmit the airborne
When taking down Christmas lights viruses.
and decorations, be just as careful on
the ladder as when you were putting “Your best defense [against viral grinch-
them up. You might be exhausted from es] is to make sure you are up to date with
the excitement of the past few weeks your flu and COVID vaccines. They are
and in a hurry to put everything behind safe for everyone over the age of 6 months
you and that’s when a fall is most likely and pregnant women as well. If there are
at-risk guests at the gathering, wearing

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH December 22, 2022 9

In 2015, 64% of
people reported If the blues per-
sist, pay attention way to get out of the post-holiday blues and
experiencing to your moods, try get a kick start on a truly happy new year.”
to be compassion-
Dr. Samantha La Qua is a board-certi-
post-holiday ate toward your- fied family medicine physician with addi-
self, and reach out tional training in obstetrics. She received
her undergraduate degree from Cornell
blues. for help if need be. University, where she studied human bi-
“There is no ology health and society. She earned her
medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medi-
shame in feeling cal University before going on to complete
her residency at Halifax Health Family
depressed,” said Medicine Residency in Daytona Beach. Dr.
La Qua completed her Obstetrical Fellow-
Dr. La Qua. “Most ship at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Her
office is located at HCA Florida St. Lucie
depression can be managed by your pri- Specialists, 1700 SE Hillmoor Dr. Suite 200,
Port St. Lucie, 772-398-7936. 
mary care provider, but if it gets to a point

where progress isn’t being made, then you

may be referred to a mental health profes-

sional. There are stabilizing medications

that can help control the mood swings.

Taking charge of your mood is the fastest

masks couldn’t hurt.” nection. Make sure to get out of the house
Another tip: “Limit what you are share,” and breathe fresh air. Look forward and
not backward and think about one thing
Dr. La Qua advised. “If you are planning you’d like to have happen in the upcom-
a big holiday meal, make it a plated din- ing new year.
ner verses a buffet, or have one person
wearing gloves serving the food instead After the festivities, people may suc-
of passing the platters around the table. cumb to post-holiday blues – which can
Place individually wrapped candies in actually be a sign of healthy psychological
the candy bowl and refrain from sharing functioning because the down mood re-
vegetable and chip dips. A safer way to flects the emotional cost of enjoying sev-
present snacks is in individual cups. And, eral weeks of fun.
of course, monitor your intake of alcohol
and always have a designated driver.” Most people have high levels of activity
in the stretch between Thanksgiving and
The holidays often trigger emotional Christmas, with a lot of activity during
upset and turmoil, too, especially in gath- the preparations, socializing, travel and
erings awash in alcohol. Old quarrels can family visits. Then, suddenly it’s over.
reignite and misunderstandings occur.
Others who are less active may continue
Others find themselves prey to loneli- to feel lonely and left out.
ness and regret. Christmas can be a sad and
difficult time for those who have lost loved The National Alliance on Mental Ill-
ones or are feeling alone and isolated. ness (NAMI) says post-holiday blues are
associated with unrealistic expectations
It’s important to stay in contact with or memories connected to the holiday
friends and reach out to those you love. season. In a 2015 survey, a whopping 64
Place a phone call and talk rather than percent of people reported experiencing
texting to make a stronger personal con- post-holiday blues.

10 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.com

Surgery isn’t the only option in getting rid of fibroids

By Marlene Cimons man Services. Fibroids can grow as a single fibroids can cause numerous problems, fessor of obstetrics and gynecology at the
The Washington Post tumor or numerous tumors and can be tiny among them difficulty urinating, constipa- George Washington University School of
or as large as a grapefruit. Many fibroids can tion, back pain resulting from tumors press- Medicine and Health Sciences. “Fibroids
When Jennifer Medina of Queens learned be detected during a routine pelvic exam- ing on nerves, fatigue, and anemia caused by also grow during pregnancy and fight the
she had uterine fibroids – benign tumors ination, depending on their location, or con- excessive bleeding, experts say. baby for space.”
that grow in and around the walls of the firmed by ultrasound.
uterus – her gynecologist suggested two They also can complicate pregnancy. Because fibroids frequently recur after
treatments known to work: getting a hyster- Like Medina, many women with fibroids “They are related to miscarriages, treatment, researchers are exploring ways to
ectomy, the surgical removal of her uterus are not told about noninvasive fibroid treat- preterm labor, and they can cause problems prevent this. Solutions include trying a com-
that would make it impossible for her to get ments that don’t affect fertility. Experts want with blood distribution inside the uterus,” bination of treatments, rather than one, and
pregnant, or waiting until menopause when to change that. says Gaby Moawad, clinical associate pro-
fibroids usually shrink or disappear. Neither CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
option was appealing. “The problem with fibroids is that they
often are not taken very seriously,” says
“I wasn’t ready to give up the idea of hav- Taraneh Shirazian, director of the Center
ing children, and I didn’t want to cope with for Fibroid Care at NYU Langone Health,
this for another 15 years,” says Medina, 38, a who ended up treating Medina in July.
senior program manager at a nonprofit crim- “Many women are counseled to wait until
inal justice reform group. She had endured menopause or have a hysterectomy and are
heavy menstrual cramping and excessive not offered every option.”
bleeding since her teenage years.
Some physicians are untrained in newer,
“I had to take time off every month from less invasive approaches and perform only a
work, because I couldn’t function,” she limited number of procedures in their prac-
says, describing the misery. “I had to plan tice, such as hysterectomies, so that’s all they
everything around my periods, because I offer, Shirazian says. “Patients find them-
couldn’t go out socially.” Ultimately, she re- selves in limbo,” she adds. “They either can’t
jected both recommendations and sought get treatment or must do something very
help elsewhere. drastic. Ten years ago, there weren’t many
options available. Now there are choices, and
Up to 80 percent of women develop uter- women need to know they exist, even if their
ine fibroids by age 50, although not all wom- providers don’t offer them.”
en experience symptoms, according to the
Office on Women’s Health at Health and Hu- Although they are nearly always benign,

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Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | HEALTHY SENIOR December 22, 2022 13

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 White women usually get them in their prompt treatment. “Fibroid treatment ceptives to control bleeding; gonadotro-
late 30s and early 40s, “while Black women should never be delayed,” he says. pin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and
lifestyle interventions. Studies suggest that can develop them in their 20s and even in antagonists, which decrease estrogen and
dietary changes and certain supplements, their teens, and they are more likely to have “A lot of physicians who don’t have the progesterone levels in the body, shrinking
such as vitamin D, can help. hysterectomies, which means fibroids are skills [to perform newer procedures] offer fibroids and lessening bleeding; progestins
more likely to have an impact on reproduc- menopause as a way to take away symp- (synthetic versions of the hormone proges-
“The recurrence rate is very high … so tion and pregnancy,” says Elizabeth Stewart, toms. If a patient has problems caused by terone), which thin the lining of the uterus
we want to look at alternatives to keep them a gynecologist and reproductive endocrinol- fibroids, you shouldn’t elongate a poor and may reduce heavy menstrual bleed-
from coming back,” says Shirazian, who re- ogist at the Mayo Clinic. quality of life.” ing; iron supplements, which treat anemia;
cently began a small study looking at the ef- and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
fects of diets heavy in vegetables and supple- She says researchers still don’t under- Experts want women with fibroids to know which control mild pain.
ments. She says she hopes to launch another stand the reason for the disparities. “It’s the numerous treatments are available, not only
study that examines medication coupled biggest question in fibroid research,” she surgery but also medications and other non- Surgical treatments include:
with ablation, a procedure that uses heat to says. “There clearly are some biological dif- invasive therapies. They should talk to their Hysterectomy – the only complete cure,
shrink fibroids one at a time. “Anecdotally, I ferences between fibroids in Black women provider about which one is best for them. which removes the uterus along with any
can tell you that people do better, but we have and other women.” fibroids – and myomectomy, or surgical re-
to study it,” she says of the latter. Nonsurgical treatments include: moval of the fibroids. Myomectomy proce-
Stewart also agrees with other experts that Transcervical radiofrequency ablation. dures include:
“We take an individualized approach for providers offer hysterectomies too readily, This is an incision-free procedure used to Hysteroscopy. The surgeon inserts a thin,
each patient,” Shirazian says. especially among premenopausal women, shrink fibroids. An instrument with a tip that lighted scope through the vagina into the
and points out the dangers. For example, emits ultrasound waves and radiofrequency uterus, which helps find and remove fibroids.
“Many factors go into deciding which pro- studies show an increased risk of heart dis- energy goes into the uterus, finds the tumors Laparoscopy. The surgeon inserts a light-
cedure is best,” including the size and loca- ease for those who have the surgery and keep and shrinks them. ed scope and highly advanced surgical in-
tion of the fibroids, fertility and whether the their ovaries. Endometrial ablation. Heat energy re- struments through small incisions in the ab-
patient wants a fast recovery so she can get moves the lining of the uterus, which is the domen and so as to see and remove fibroids.
back to work, among others. “My philosophy “There are long-term consequences for source of the heavy menstrual bleeding that Laparotomy. The doctor makes an ab-
is to explain what can be expected from each millions of women,” she says. “They have a 33 accompanies fibroids. The best candidates dominal incision several inches long to re-
and let the patient make her own decision.” percent higher risk of heart disease after an are those who are not planning to become move large fibroids, multiple fibroids or fi-
average of 20 years. That’s a little bit scary be- pregnant and women with medical condi- broids that have grown deep into the wall of
Medina chose transcervical radiofrequen- cause most women have hysterectomies for tions that increase the risks of surgery. the uterus.
cy ablation, which she underwent in July. “I fibroids when they are in their 30s or 40s, and Uterine fibroid embolization. Often, this Robotic-assisted myomectomy. The sur-
now have very little pain with my periods, heart disease risk goes up with age.” is performed on an outpatient basis by an geon uses small incisions to place a miniature
the bleeding is nowhere near what it used to interventional radiologist. It works by cutting camera and surgical tools that are controlled
be, and I don’t have to worry about my child- The reasons for the risk are unclear, she off the blood supply to the fibroids, causing with a robotic-assisted surgical device. The
bearing prospects,” she says. “I only wish I says. “There is a lot more work to be done,” them to shrink. This is effective for women device provides a high-resolution 3D view of
had known about this earlier.” she says. “Understanding that fibroids are a with multiple or large fibroids. the fibroids. 
serious disease and deserve study is critical.” Medications. These include oral contra-
Research suggests that Black women have
a higher risk of developing fibroids earlier in Meanwhile, Moawad encourages wom-
life than White women, and that they also en with problematic fibroids to seek
experience more severe forms of the disease.

14 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.com

Addressing sleep-apnea
issues, anxiety in seniors

By Fred Cicetti | Columnist

Q. How can I tell if I’m suffering from
sleep apnea?

A. About 18 million Americans have lems, losses and other major life chang-
sleep apnea. It’s much more common in es build up as we get older, we tend to
older adults and men. Apnea is Greek for become anxious. Some surveys suggest
“without breath.” that one in five older adults suffer anx-
iety symptoms that require treatment.
People with sleep apnea stop breathing
for as long as 30 seconds at a time. These In addition to psychological caus-
interruptions can happen hundreds of es, medical disorders common in older
times a night. The breathing cessations adults can be directly responsible for
may wake you and prevent you from get- the anxiety we feel. These include heart
ting a good night’s sleep. These awaken- disease, neurologic illness, thyroid and
ings usually are so brief that you don’t other hormone problems. In addition,
recall them. anxiety can be a drug side effect. And
seniors take a lot of medicine.
The most common symptoms of sleep
apnea include: Anxiety disorders in seniors have been
underestimated. One of the main rea-
• Excessive daytime sleepiness . sons is that older patients are more likely
• Loud snoring. to emphasize their physical complaints
• Observed episodes of breathing stop- and downplay emotional problems.
pages during sleep.
• Abrupt awakenings with shortness of Anxiety disorders are serious medi-
breath. cal illnesses that affect approximately
• Awakening with a dry mouth or sore 40 million American adults. They all in-
throat. volve excessive, irrational fear. Anxiety
• Morning headache. disorders are chronic and can worsen if
• Problems associated with sleep depri- untreated.
vation such as forgetfulness and mood
changes. Anxiety disorders are treated with
About 90 percent of sleep-apnea vic- medication and psychotherapy. Both ap-
tims have a windpipe blockage. Obstruc- proaches can be effective for most disor-
tive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles ders. Anxiety disorders are not all treated
in the back of your throat relax. These the same, so it is important to determine
muscles support the soft palate, tonsils, the specific problem first.
tongue and uvula – that doohickey that
hangs in the back of your mouth. When Although medications won’t cure an
the muscles relax, your airway is nar- anxiety disorder, they can keep the symp-
rowed and breathing is cut off. A block- toms under control and enable people to
age can also be caused by a lot of fatty have normal lives. 
tissue in the throat.

Q. I seem to be anxious more than usual.
Is this something that increases with age?

A. Because the stresses of health prob-

Custom-built Royal Park home
exudes Old Florida charm

2806 Laurel Drive, Royal Park: 2-story, 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath, 2,099-square-foot home offered for $1,495,000
by AMAC Alex MacWilliam Real Estate agents Charlotte Terry and Patty Valdez: 772-538-2388

16 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE www.veronews.com

Custom-built Royal Park home exudes Old Florida charm

By Samantha Rohlfing Baita | Staff Writer the oak canopy high above, its flickering, shower; and a large cathedral window with a pair of mullioned windows, which offer
[email protected] remote-controlled “candle” bulbs provid- a beautiful view and dark pull-down shade. a restful, pleasant view of the front porch
ing a magical ambiance as night falls. and gnarled oaks dappling the front lawn.
Overflowing with Old Florida charm, the Off the living room, on the north side,
lovely home at 2806 Laurel Dr. sits nestled Step inside, past the charming powder are the island kitchen, informal and for- The dining room walls were painted by
beneath splendid old oak trees on a large, room and into the living space, where mal dining areas, and sunroom. The kitch- Fields in amber and sienna tones, creating
park-like double lot on a quiet street in the golden pine flooring glows in the sun- en features a handsome wood ceiling and a sophisticated faux marble effect. A grace-
Royal Park neighborhood. shine flowing in from two skylights in the
vaulted pine ceiling. A beautiful white,
A one-of-a-kind treasure, the home was wood-burning fireplace adds cozy ap-
designed and custom built by owner Mar- peal, and additional natural light beams
sha Fields in 1988, and she and husband through a glass wall of mullioned windows
John have been its only occupants. Of the and French doors. The doors lead to a Trax
ancient oaks, she considers herself not deck, enclosed outside shower and three-
their owner but, rather, their custodian. step stairway onto the bricked patio and
carport beyond.
The long, pine-plank, wrap-around
front porch invites you to sit, take a deep An open staircase leads to a gallery look-
breath and relax, taking in the surround-

ings landscaped woodlands and the green ing down upon the living room, all beneath warm-toned Mexican tile flooring that ex- ful metal candelabra provides soft illumi-
fairway and 18th hole of the Vero Beach the high cathedral ceiling. On either end of tends through the adjoining informal din- nation after dark, inviting diners to linger
Country Club’s golf course. the gallery, two guest bedrooms – one in pale ing room and sunroom. A wealth of white for coffee and post-dinner conversation.
dove, the other rich coffee – feature beautiful wood cabinetry is enhanced by white tile
Along the south side, an addition- wood flooring; plantation shutters; woodsy countertops that were hand-painted by lo- The light-filled sunroom features glass
al (buildable) lot extends the lush lawn; views; fans; and vaulted ceiling. cal artist Sharon Sexton. sliders on three sides. The sliders open to
near the drive is a spacious pebbled seat- the deck on one side and to the yard on
ing area around a central fire pit beneath The upstairs rooms share an artfully el- Located in the island, the large electric two sides.
the canopy of two magnificent oaks. Af- egant bath with soft gold walls; white tile cooktop includes downdraft ventilation,
ter-dark illumination for this gathering flooring; marble-top furniture style vanity; eliminating the need for a hood vent. Marsha A peaceful retreat, the large, lovely pri-
space is a glass chandelier extending from standalone black-and-white clawfoot tub/ Fields designed the conveniently stacked mary suite occupies the south wing. Relax,
built-ins – microwave, oven, convex oven unwind, recharge in the spacious (15 feet,
and warming drawer. Beneath a wide win- 6-inch-by-14-feet, 8-inch) bedroom, with
dow with a woodsy view, the deep two-basin its honeyed wood flooring, neutral walls
sink includes a center rinsing sink. and plantation shutters. There is a long,
double bi-fold door closet in the bedroom
At the front of the house, open to foy- and a large walk-in dressing room/closet
er and kitchen, the formal dining room in the hallway leading to the owner’s gor-
exudes a subtle French vibe, with hon- geous marble bathroom.
ey-hued wood flooring, crown molding,
and white interior wood shutters flanking In shades of cream and tan, including an
artistically shaped furniture-style double

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTAT E December 22, 2022 17

vanity with beveled marble top, this spa-like A picture window and glass door pro- designed the beautiful carport with its spa- And we’re centrally located: two minutes
haven provides one of the many “Wow!” mo- vide natural light and access to your com- cious, open design, storage closet with to Publix, two minutes to the beach.”
ments you’ll discover on your tour. pletely private deck and one-with-nature fridge and proximity to the main house, to
outdoor shower. accommodate parties of all sorts. From this very special and secluded Old
The w/c includes a bidet; the tiled, glass Florida neighborhood, you can, indeed,
shower features a delicious rainforest Inside and/or out, this exceptional home “We love the neighborhood. We have access all major thoroughfares for shop-
head; and the deep tub within its marble offers endless entertaining opportunities, sunrise to the back, sunset to the front. At ping, dining, entertainment, medical facil-
surround invites you to take a long hot from intimate soirees to large groups. Fields night, the lights of the bridge are beautiful. ities and schools within minutes. 
soak, possibly sipping from a glass of wine
and listening to soft music.

2806 LAUREL DR., ROYAL PARK

Neighborhood:
Vero Beach Country Club

Year built: 1988
Construction:
Special order pine
beveled-lap siding; metal roof
Lot size: 210 feet by 134 feet
Home size: 2,099 square feet
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2.5
Additional features:
Tile/wood flooring; fireplace;
exceptional storage through-
out; soaring ceilings; pantry;
breakfast nook; primary bed-
room downstairs; skylights;
ceiling fans; French doors;
irrigation sprinkler; outdoor
shower; porch/patio; garden
view; septic tank; public wa-
ter; 2-bay covered carport/
entertainment space with
storage and extra fridge;
additional parking; plenty of
room for a swimming pool or
tennis court
Listing agency: AMAC
Alex MacWilliam Real Estate
Listing agents:
Charlotte Terry, 772-538-2388;
Patty Valdez, 772-473-8810
Listing price: $1,495,000

18 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE www.veronews.com

MAINLAND REAL ESTATE SALES: DEC. 12 THROUGH DEC. 16

TOP SALES OF THE WEEK

Main real estate activity remained moderate last week, with 32 transactions of single-family resi-
dences and lots reported (some shown below).
The top sale of the week was in Sebastian, where the 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom residence at 6666
110th St. – listed in October for $990,000 – sold for the asking price on Dec. 12.
Representing the seller in the transaction was agent Susan Maitner of Coldwell Banker Paradise.
Representing the buyer was agent Sylvia Sawyer of Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc.

SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND LOTS

ORIGINAL SELLING
PRICE
TOWN ADDRESS LISTED ASKING PRICE SOLD
$990,000
SEBASTIAN 6666 110TH ST 10/14/2022 $990,000 12/12/2022 $655,084
VERO BEACH 560 CAROLINE DR 4/25/2022 $677,968 12/16/2022 $540,000
SEBASTIAN 778 HOLDEN AVE 9/23/2022 $515,000 12/15/2022 $500,000
VERO BEACH 6169 56TH AVE 5/23/2022 $675,000 12/12/2022 $489,000
VERO BEACH 6637 59TH CT 10/20/2022 $489,000 12/12/2022 $390,000
SEBASTIAN 541 FRINK AVE 11/16/2022 $405,000 12/15/2022 $385,000
VERO BEACH 604 CALAMONDIN WAY SW 10/11/2022 $399,900 12/13/2022 $375,000
VERO BEACH 7497 GREAT OAK PL 10/11/2022 $379,900 12/16/2022 $374,000
SEBASTIAN 792 CAPON TER 11/28/2022 $379,000 12/15/2022 $359,900
SEBASTIAN 992 GEORGE ST 7/18/2022 $320,900 12/13/2022 $354,270
SEBASTIAN 1030 LACONIA ST 5/23/2022 $368,270 12/15/2022 $349,270
SEBASTIAN 132 CHALOUPE TER 6/9/2022 $349,270 12/13/2022 $342,500
VERO BEACH 2525 46TH RD 10/24/2022 $375,000 12/12/2022 $342,000
SEBASTIAN 103 CONOVER AVE 8/18/2022 $375,000 12/12/2022 $330,000
VERO BEACH 10105 VERONA MNR 9/7/2022 $389,900 12/15/2022 $325,000
VERO BEACH 1129 NORMANDIE WAY 8/19/2022 $349,000 12/15/2022 $309,000
VERO BEACH 7886 100TH CT 7/22/2022 $315,900 12/15/2022 $295,000
VERO BEACH 7886 103RD CT 9/21/2022 $314,990 12/15/2022 $285,000
VERO BEACH 10168 W VILLA CIR 10/7/2022 $315,000 12/14/2022 $265,000
VERO BEACH 385 35TH AVE 9/9/2022 $289,900 12/14/2022 $257,975
VERO BEACH 1655 20TH ST SW 11/10/2022 $269,900 12/12/2022 $247,500
VERO BEACH 670 E LAKE JASMINE CIR UNIT #101 9/27/2022 $265,000 12/15/2022 $216,000
SEBASTIAN 1543 EASTLAKE LN 10/5/2022 $230,000 12/14/2022 $209,000
VERO BEACH 1934 2ND AVE SW 9/10/2022 $219,000 12/13/2022 $199,000
VERO BEACH 281 6TH CT SW 8/1/2022 $225,000 12/15/2022 $175,000
VERO BEACH 2150 94TH DR 11/7/2022 $175,000 12/15/2022 $136,000
VERO BEACH 15 VISTA GARDENS TRL UNIT #105 11/2/2022 $145,000 12/15/2022

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTAT E December 22, 2022 19

HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP RECENT INDIAN RIVER COUNTY REAL ESTATE SALES.

560 Caroline Dr, Vero Beach 778 Holden Ave, Sebastian

Listing Date: 4/25/2022 Listing Date: 9/23/2022
Original Price: $677,968 Original Price: $515,000
Sold: 12/16/2022 Sold: 12/15/2022
Selling Price: $655,084 Selling Price: $540,000
Listing Agent: Jeffrey Germano Listing Agent: Robin Raiff

Selling Agent: The GHO Homes Agency LLC Selling Agent: Douglas Elliman Florida LLC

NOT PROVIDED Paul Ditmar

NOT PROVIDED Robert Slack LLC

6169 56th Ave, Vero Beach 6637 59th Ct, Vero Beach

Listing Date: 5/23/2022 Listing Date: 10/20/2022
Original Price: $675,000 Original Price: $489,000
Sold: 12/12/2022 Sold: 12/12/2022
Selling Price: $500,000 Selling Price: $489,000
Listing Agent: Neumann Marlett Jr Listing Agent: Kurt Gradel

Selling Agent: Atlantic Shores Realty Execs Selling Agent: Keller Williams Realty

Sylvia Catron NOT PROVIDED

ONE Sotheby’s Int’l Realty NOT PROVIDED

20 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE www.veronews.com

FLORIDA HOME INSURANCE BAILOUT FALLS SHORT

By Jonathan Levin | Bloomberg a lid on premiums, Florida lawmakers erty insurance lawsuits even though it last resort. It may also push private in-
needed to make sure that residents re- has less than a 10th of the claims. surance premiums higher, all else being
Florida’s legislature has finally – at tained access to insurance at all. equal.
long last – taken meaningful steps toward Part of the issue, as the argument goes,
addressing the state’s runaway property The legislation would create a $1 bil- is that the state’s laws made it so attrac- Homeowners can get a Citizens policy
insurance crisis. Unfortunately, it wait- lion state-backed reinsurance fund that tive to sue. Until now, the law has dictat- at an implicitly subsidized rate as long as
ed until the market was on the brink of primary insurers can turn to for cover- ed that defendants (insurers) had to pay private premiums are at least 20 percent
collapse when good options were impos- age. It also addresses companies’ run- the attorney’s fees for prevailing plain- more expensive, which is increasingly
sible to come by. Going forward, the leg- away litigation costs by taking away an tiffs (ostensibly homeowners) – the so- the case. Once they get there, homeown-
islature must prioritize forward-looking advantage that homeowners’ had en- called one-way attorney fee statute. ers tend to stick with Citizens, pushing
solutions to forestall future crises before joyed against insurers in court. Finally, it the Citizens portfolio above a million
they begin. took steps to reduce the number of home- The threat of massive attorneys’ fees homes this year, including some of the
owners covered by a state-backed insurer incentivized companies to just settle riskiest properties that simply can’t get
The Sunshine State, of course, is where of last resort, which offers below-market claims, and in recent years, it has de- insured anywhere else.
expensive real estate bumps up against premiums that the industry contends volved into something of a racket. In the
ever-intensifying hurricanes, the loom- hurt its ability to charge fair prices. most egregious cases, contractors would That may be putting an artificial cap
ing threat of rising seas and the most no- encourage homeowners to file claims on market prices, too, preventing insur-
toriously litigious insurance market in The reinsurance fund is, of course, under false pretenses and then help ers from charging what they deem to be
the country. the quintessential short-term fix to tide bring the claims to opportunistic law- a reasonable price for the risk. Under
the market over until, hopefully, the oth- yers. There’s little doubt that the lawsuits the new legislation, homeowners will be
It’s also a market full of smaller region- er measures start to pay dividends. It’s pushed up insurers’ costs. forced to leave Citizens once they can
al insurers with business models that clearly not sustainable to imagine a world again find private-sector policies within
rely on access to reinsurance, effectively in which the state is left holding the bag To address the matter, the new legisla- 20 percent of the price of those issued by
insurance for insurers. The rising cost of for private insurers’ catastrophic risk. tion does away with the one-way attorney Citizens.
those policies has been at least one cause fee benefit, a politically difficult move
of the latest turbulence. The change to the litigation outlook that takes away a benefit to homeowners These reforms were largely necessary
may have a more enduring impact, but it that – for all its abuse – also helped many to address a crisis unfolding in real time,
The popular knock on the new legisla- comes at a cost. Advocates for the insur- people stand up to unscrupulous com- but they have come far too late and ad-
tion – which a special session of the Flor- ance industry have long contended that panies. But the situation had become so dress only part of the problem. This
ida legislature just approved and sent to the problem with Florida is the long tail dire that it was a necessary step to pre- back-against-the-wall situation arrived
Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature – is of claims and lawsuits that has followed serve access to the market. after years of the legislature kicking the
that it amounts to a bailout of the insur- every natural disaster. Gov. DeSantis can down the road on an issue that’s
ance industry that won’t immediately ad- claims that the state accounts for more The final change of note aims to ease only going to get more challenging as sea
dress homeowners’ surging premiums. than three-quarters of the nation’s prop- the burden of the crisis on Citizens Prop- levels rise. 
That’s accurate, but more than keeping erty Insurance Corp., the state insurer of

HOLIDAY STRESS, 6 16OLD FLORIDA CHARM LIVELY LOKI IS B8
ILLNESS & PERIL IN ROYAL PARK HARDLY LOW-KEY

Coming Up CONTEMPORARY ARTIST’S WORKS

MAGIC OF McKEE MESMERIZE IN THE HERE AND NOW PAGEB2
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS:
‘WOW’ ABOUT THAT!

By Pam Harbaugh | Correspondent

Could be you’ve got a few out-of-town
visitors right now. Take the next few
days to show off the area to them.

1 First, dazzle them with the
Magic of McKee Festival of
Lights. The annual holiday event
runs through Dec. 30 at McKee
Botanical Garden. That means
that not only can you enjoy a stroll
through this bounteous garden
teeming with Florida flora, but
you can also get a little holiday
thrill with a large-scale train dis-
play on view 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Fri-
day, Dec. 23, and Wednesday, Dec.
28 through Friday, Dec. 30. A 1924
Wurlitzer Band Organ will play 6
p.m. to 8 p.m. through Friday, Dec.
23. Children can visit Santa from
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec.
22 and Friday, Dec. 23. Intermit-
tent snow flurries take place in the
historic Spanish Kitchen which is
outdoors by the Hall of Giants. And
take a little rest at the Garden Café
which will serve special holiday

CONTINUED ON PAGE B4

B2 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE www.veronews.com

Contemporary artist’s works mesmerize in the here and now

BY DEBBIE TIMMERMANN | CORRESPONDENT Maciek von Ato. been turned into
colorful treasures and a pair
It is fitting that the first name of art- PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS of large corbels (decorative supports)
ist Maciek von Ato is pronounced “Ma became a one-of-a-kind lamp. The
Chick.” The name sounds a lot like ‘mag- master bedroom of his home features
ic,’ which is exactly what he creates, uti- a hand-painted, gallery-quality head-
lizing his limitless imagination to pro- board that defies description.
duce objects of artistic excellence. Allowing form to follow function, a
multi-panel screen in his living room
“I was about 4 or 5 years old when I becomes a masterful adornment that
first discovered that magic of putting keeps the television from taking cen-
lines, shapes and colors together,” says ter stage, and their charming Christ-
von Ato. “What began as a passion soon mas tree is made from some of those
became an obsession.” old copper gutters, with its angel, stars
and candleholders.
A minimalist at heart, von Ato says, “I The Polish-born von Ato received a
feel that one should minimize the num- master’s degree from the Academy of
ber of colors, forms and objects and still Fine Arts in Warsaw but left the coun-
be able to tell the story.” try in 1981 when it became politically
unsettled and before martial law was
Some of those stories come from declared. He lived in Austria for two
found objects. “Material drops from the years before moving with wife Jayne
sky, and I use it,” he explains. and their young daughter to Australia,

Examples include exquisitely unique Living Lord
candle holders made from copper gut- Lutheran Church
ters that had blown down in a storm, be-
coming an otherwise mangled, useless “A Church Of The ELCA” Est. 1986
mess. A fallen oak tree was carved into
the base of a coffee table and was also CHRISTMAS EVE
formed into two carved statues, each de- Service of Holy Communion
picting different faces on both sides.
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Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE December 22, 2022 B3

where he worked in graphic design to It provided plenty of space to work make connections with friends and fel- see something, and the project begins.”
support his family. on wood or metal sculptures, flat, free- low artists. Though his sources of inspiration are
form wall sculptures or large-scale can-
He found the country to be beautiful vases. There was also enough buffering Nevertheless, he wants to be part of unlimited, as are a wide range of mate-
but quite conservative and almost too between houses that their neighbors the contemporary art scene that is now rials, the minimalist in him comes out
vast. His daughter loves the country weren’t disturbed by the noisier aspects gaining a foothold in the Vero area with in his careful choice of elements for
and still lives there, but he felt the need of his sculpture work. the influx of new artists bringing in their each piece, with their precisely edited
for a change. expanded artistic tastes. images and colors.
He appreciated the area’s rich history
Arriving in the United States by way and respect for art, saying, “The DuPont Many of his creations, sculptures and Von Ato says of his work that “the
of San Francisco in 1994, he soon relo- family had developed all of these places paintings alike, feature women. Not por- boundaries between reality and imag-
cated to New York City. He again worked of interest. It was very art-oriented.” traits, except for one that he made of his ination blur, exposing a moment in
in graphic design, before moving a few wife, but rather the sense of a woman, time, a dream, an experience, or merely
years later to the Philadelphia area, Eventually, the couple tired of the cold ethereally painted. Far from still life, his an observation.”
where their wooded retreat gave him and snow and, on the recommendation paintings are in motion, guiding the eye
greater room to think and create. of a friend, they moved to Vero Beach five from one point to another. He uses only oils in his paintings, ap-
years ago. However, he says back trou- plying it in layers of various opacities,
“The Philadelphia house had a six- bles followed by COVID wasted much of Utilizing his graphic design training, until obtaining the desired color, occa-
car garage, which became my studio,” that time and it has limited his ability to von Ato interweaves colors and shapes sionally applying metallics.
says von Ato. as he tells his intended story, contrast-
ing softer silhouettes with pyramids “The illumination effect offers the
and triangles. Some of his contempo- viewer different perspectives, depend-
rary pieces feature bolder colors and ing on the light source and time of day or
large canvasses. night,” says von Ato.

Von Ato’s use of gold in many of his Von Ato has had solo and group exhi-
works radiates light, capturing the view- bitions in the United States, Europe and
er’s attention to a higher extent and Australia, and his work can be found in
touching on spiritual depth. Nothing is private collections worldwide.
excessive, yet everything contributes to
the overall story. He is a member of the Vero Beach-
based Friends of Contemporary Art
While von Ato says he finds inspira- group, and some of his work can be
tion all around him, certain events have viewed in the Viva FOCA exhibition at
made deeper impressions, such as his the Center for Spiritual Care in Vero
large painting “Desert Storm,” inspired through Jan. 3.
by the Iraq war, and others that were in-
fluenced by the tragic events of 9/11. Von Ato says he looks forward to be-
coming a bigger part of the art scene
“A matter of thought just comes to me,” here, as he and Jayne have embraced
von Ato explains. “I hear something, or Vero and its lifestyle.

“We are happy here.” 

B4 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE www.veronews.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 couple of establishments might be just the panini and more. Upcoming events include ing Company is at 712 Cleveland St., Sebas-
thing, both offering river views and plen- “Trivial Trivia” from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. tian. Call 772-571-5693 or visit Pareidoli-
treats. Special children’s holiday crafting ty of fun entertainment. The Pareidolia Thursday, Dec. 22, Big Tiki & The Mai Tais aBrewing.com. With its sandy bar area and
will be held 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Brewing Company has a family-friendly 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23, Mojo relaxing riverfront appeal, Tiki Bar & Grill,
Dec. 22, when children will participate in and dog-friendly vibe. They offer up hand- Mike Christmas Instrumental Performance also in Sebastian, has a very casual vibe.
rock painting, and 10 a.m. to noon Friday, crafted beers, a tasting room, wine, cider, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, and Open Not only can you get drinks and eats, but
Dec. 23, when children will make reindeer kombucha and more. They also have a pub- Mic Night with Robert & Friends 6 p.m. to 9 you can also enjoy its Open Jam Night which
ornaments. And of course, the garden will style menu with hot dogs, flatbread pizza, p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28. Pareidolia Brew- runs 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 26. Tiki
be illuminated by thousands of bright, Bar & Grill is at 1130 Indian River Dr. Call
colorful and professionally installed LED 772-388-1080 or visit SebastianTiki.com.
lights. Also expect to see more festive dec-
orations. “It’s a magical event that puts ev- 3 If your visitors are in town long
erybody in the spirit and brings everybody enough, then show off the area’s high
together, both people who live here and arts as well. Ballet Vero Beach will return its
people from far away,” says Connie Co- full theatrical production of “The Nutcrack-
therman, McKee’s marketing and events er on the Indian River.” This production is a
manager. Holiday hours this week are 10 whimsical, magical take on the original bal-
a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22 and Friday, let. Instead of taking place after a party in a
Dec. 23. After Christmas Day, the McKee large Victorian home, this production takes
will resume regular hours, which are 10 the audience through the holiday journey of
a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Marie, who goes from grand mansions on
The Children’s Garden closes at 4:30 p.m. Fifth Avenue in New York City to the shores
The last ticket sold is at 4 p.m. Tickets are of the Indian River Lagoon. There, she is en-
$15 general, $13 for seniors 65 years and tertained by local flora and fauna, from land
older and for youth ages 13 to 17 years, $10 crabs and manatees to river otters and bou-
for children ages 2 to 12, and active or vet- gainvillea. The production stars more than
eran military. If you visit during the day, 20 professional dancers as they perform
you need to purchase a separate ticket to with more than 75 dance students. Perfor-
visit the garden in the evening. Admis- mances begin 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, and
sion is free to children under 2 years of age 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at the Vero Beach
and to McKee members. McKee Botanical High School Performing Arts Center. Tick-
Garden is at 350 U.S. 1, Vero Beach. Call ets are $10 to $75. Call 772-905-2651 or visit
772-794-0601 or visit McKeeGarden.org. BalletVeroBeach.org/Nutcracker-on-the-
Indian-River.php. 
2 Of course, visitors will enjoy relax-
ing near some views of the water. A

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B8 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | PETS www.veronews.com

Everyone loves lively Loki, who’s anything buy low-key

Hi Dog Buddies! Steve) is The Boss Of. Since Mama didn’t to Crate Train me, I Loki.
want to leave a pupper at home all day, didn’t wanna NOT
I was glad I had just fluffed my ruff be- she had to get per-MISSION to bring it to do what she asked, PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS
fore this week’s innerview, cuz my inner- work, like, every day. but I HAD to quickly
view-ee is one squared away poocheroo. convince her a crate enjoy as much as I
“Let’s just say at first Grampa Steve was NOT for me! do. Later, we go to the post office, then
Loki Lauer is a 12-pound, min-uh-chur wasn’t fond of the idea. At all. But Mama I’m treat motivated. lunch at Casey’s or El Sid, where every-
poodle an, even tho he’s a pure-bred, didn’t give up. She told Grampa Steve The crate training body loves me. They say ‘There’s Loki! Hi,
with PAY-pers an everything, he’s totally that Mr. Sandy, who runs a bizz-ness efforts lasted about Loki!’ After work me an Mama have din-
NOT a snob-nose. on the first floor, took HIS poocheroo, 2 hours. I think it’s ner, then we hang-out, watch a liddle TV.
Rocky, to work every day, an it was FINE. a poodle thing.” I’m not ackshully a cuddly kinda pooch,
We met at his workplace, where Loki ’cept when I’m sleepy, I’m semi-cuddly
an his Mama and Grampa do something “Finally, Grampa Steve agreed (Thank “So, what’re with Mama.”
called LAW which, he explained, means Lassie) an Mama woof-mailed the best your fave food-
helpin’ humans make good duh-cisions breeder she could find. The recent litter stuffs? Toys? Pooch “Do you travel?” I inquired.
about important stuff. Loki’s spent pred- of puppers had just been ’dopted out but pals?” “I’m good inna car anna plane. But I
dy much every workday there since he a liddle while later, the breeder called an miss bein’ here in the office.”
was an 8-week-old pupper. said there’re More Puppies Ready Right “BACON!” he responded with enthu- Heading home, I was thinkin’ about
Away. So Mama rushed out an bought siasm. “An Stinky Fish Snacks! An LED- charming Loki, makin’ so many hu-
Loki came trottin’ up to greet us, with lotsa Puppy Stuff, threw everything DUCE, ever since our bookkeeper acci- mans’ day a liddle better just by bein’ his
a nice lady right buh-hind. in the car and took off for Kissimmee, dentally dropped a liddle leaf of it an I outgoing, adorable self.
where the breeder was. It was JAN-you- gobbled it right UP. Mixed greens are a An thinkin’ about checkin’ to see if
“Good afternoon. You must be Bonzo! wary 2021. I was an 8-week-old fluffball. beauty-full thing, doncha think?” perhaps there was some bacon in the
I’m Loki Lauer, Receptionist an Official Only weighed 4 pounds. Irresistubble, of fridge, to go with my duh-li-shus evening
Greeter! This is my Mama, Eva. Come’on, course. Me an Mama knew right away I Fortunately, before I could respond, he bowl of yoghurt.
I’ll show you to our CON-frunce room.” was The Dog!” continued.
Till next time,
“A pleasure!” I said, following them “Woof, Loki! That’s SO Crispy Bis- “My grrrlfren, Olive, a Wire Haired
into a room with the biggest table I ever cuits! What was it like at first, havin’ your Terrier, lives a coupla houses down. We The Bonz
saw, with chairs all the way around. I Furever Home? An how’d you get that met as puppies. We have play dates at her
didn’t know what CON-frunces were but Cool Kibbles name?” place. She jumps in her pool, but I don’t Don’t Be Shy
I figured, with a table like that, they must like water that’s not in my bowl. I’m also
be Very Serious an Important. (I planned “It was excitin’! Not to brag, but I frens with Rocky. We share toys, ’cept We are always looking for pets
to Google later.) was smart even when I was a pupper. I when I accidentally grab one of his an with interesting stories.
learned Potty Training right away. I did bring it to Mama.”
I opened my notebook. “I’m eager to chew stuff, tho. Like, I’d pull the grass To set up an interview, email
hear your story!” outta the pots of potted plants. An gently Loki suddenly jumped up, zipped out- [email protected].
nab one of Mom’s shoes and stick my face ta the room, then zipped back carrying
Loki got comftubble in his Mama’s lap. in it. An once I chewed some Important what looked like a brownish/orangish
“Here goes,” he said. “Mama hadda poo- File Folders. But only the corners. I also stuffy snake with a very odd zig-zaggy
dle growin’ up, an saw how smart we are, usta pull paper towels outta the trash.” face.
so she decided she’d get one Some Day.
Then, after she saw poodle puppers in the “Typical puppy stuff,” I commented. “THITH ib by FAY-brut toy. Id’s by juh-
Puppy Bowl (which is the Cool Kibblest “I KNOW, right? Mama named me Loki R A BB!”
part of that big football game humans get after the first Loki, the God of Miss-chuff
so loud about), she started really, REAL- in Norse mythology: that’s a buncha He petooied the soggy stuffy out, an I
LY wantin’ one. When she was done goin’ super old stories humans in a very cold saw it was ackshully a giraffe.
to college and traveling around, an came place called Norway tell about stuff that
back here where she grew up, she decid- happened, like, a million dog years ago. “Mom hadda sew up his face three
ed Some Day had arrived. An Mama says I’m really skilled at Miss- times! Me an Mama take a run every
chuff. I prefer to consider myself an Inde- morning to use up my Extra Energy. Af-
“But there was this tiny problem: pendent Thinker. ter breakfast we go to work. I greet our
Mama was workin’ full time, in This Very “For egg-zample, when Mama tried CLY-unts an bring ’em a toy; sometimes
Office, which her Dad (that’s my Grampa I squeak my squeaker toys when Mama
an Grampa Steve are on a conference
call, which I think possibly they don’t

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES December 22, 2022 B9

NORTH

A THIRD TRIP TO THE NINE-CARD WELL A K J 10 6 5 2

By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist 52

You must have heard that things go in threes. Well, after seeing two deals 10 6 5 4
containing a nine-card diamond suit in two days, I was confident that I would soon
see another. WEST —
84 EAST
It took about a month, and then it was in clubs, not diamonds. But there were nine ... AKJ873
count ‘em! AKJ 973
96
I opened with a gambling three no-trump, showing a solid seven-card or longer Q 10 6 4
minor suit with no side ace, king or void. After West overcalled four hearts (how
would that contract have fared?), my wife bid four spades (how would that do?), 9873
and East passed, I was torn. But then I recalled the famous riddle: What do you call
a nine-card suit? 74

Trumps! So I bid five clubs, which was passed out. SOUTH

I think most humans would have led a high diamond, but West preferred the heart Q
king: two, four, nine. West shifted to the diamond king: four, nine, queen. Robot
signaling is non-existent. They simulate deals based on the auction, using double- 9
dummy analysis to determine the average result of each defensive play, and choose
the one with the best average. So, annoyingly, West then cashed the diamond ace Q2
to defeat the contract.
A K Q J 10 8 5 3 2
I was relieved when I noted that four spades should have also gone down one. As
long as the defenders stopped North from ruffing a heart in the dummy (South), my Dealer: East; Vulnerable: Neither
wife could have taken only seven spades and two clubs.
The Bidding:
The defense against four hearts is harder. If North leads the spade ace and
continues with the spade king, South must ruff partner’s trick and cash two club SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
winners. Pass
3 NT 4 Hearts 4 Spades Pass LEAD:
5 Clubs Pass Pass Pass K Hearts

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B10 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES www.veronews.com

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (DECEMBER 15) ON PAGE B12

ACROSS DOWN
1 River in Cambridge (3) 1 Capture (5)
3 Leg (3) 2 Error (7)
5 Quotes (5) 3 Mail (4)
8 Exams (5) 4 Required (6)
9 Plain (7) 5 Felon (8)
10 Cure (4) 6 Topic (5)
11 Inhabitants (8) 7 Meet (7)
13 Intelligent (6) 12 Left (8)
14 Infrequently (6) 13 Picks (7)
17 Performed surgery (8) 15 Worked up (7)
19 Reiterate (4) 16 A suit (6)
22 Brighter (7) 18 Rub out (5)
23 Consumed (5) 20 Possessed (5)
24 Velocity (5) 21 Enthusiastic (4)
25 Transgression (3)
The Telegraph 26 Father (3)

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

The Telegraph

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES December 22, 2022 B11

ACROSS 101 Singer Ed 55 Grabbable The Washington Post
1 Chess tactic, for short 102 See 91 Across 56 Complete
4 Broadsided 108 Mrs. Gorbachev 57 Torrent IT’S A PUN-DERFUL LIFE By Merl Reagle
11 Magna cum ___ 110 Actor Brazzi 58 Worked at, as a trade
16 In ___ (confused) 111 What a person about to 62 Woody’s Interiors, for one
19 Fit for consumption 63 Get out, on a computer:
20 Fab fellow eat fish eggs might be
21 It merged with Exxon thinking? abbr.
22 New self-image book 118 One more time 64 Letup
120 “Be with you shortly” 65 Slashing news?
subtitled “How To 121 Answer to “Want some 69 The Make ___ Foundation
Vacuum the Crud Out of lemonade, mister?” 70 Remainder, to René
Your Head”? 122 On edge 71 Forster’s ___ With a View
24 Circus tents 123 Lugosi et al. 73 69 octupled
26 Ferber et al. 124 Springsteen 74 A possessive
27 Revelation on an Italian 125 Storm center 75 Latté feature
soap opera? DOWN 76 Hairy male in a fairy tale
33 Track shape 1 Cusser’s Hill 77 Big bandleader
37 Name in coaching lore 2 Sun-dried brick 78 Actor Zimbalist Jr.
38 Computer’s “keep” 3 Lakeside abode 79 Burning
option 4 Tired, in baby talk? 85 Tanning lotion abbr.
39 Boring event 5 Rodeo need 86 The Wolverines’ U.
40 With 50 Across, the 6 QB’s pass try 87 74 Down, for one: abbr.
least-ordered dish at 7 Hollywood legend West 88 Land
Quasimodo’s Restaurant? 8 U.K. honour 92 Garden tool
45 Sudan suffix 9 Deciduous tree 93 Catchall abbr.
47 Risk a long nose 10 When the flakes show up: 94 ___ crossroad
48 “Unfortunately ...” abbr. 95 Sgts. et al.
49 Iowa field find 11 Singer Rimes 96 Sets one’s sights on
50 See 40 Across 12 Tennis star Kournikova 98 Where Mount Carmel is
53 Rep. counterpart 13 Complete agreement 99 Remain
54 Designer Christian 14 Oxford official 102 ___ one’s time
56 Sugar amt. 15 Like Bacon or Lamb: abbr. 103 Gomer’s grp.
59 Mauna ___ 17 Tacks, at sea 104 Number of Satie’s
60 Mouthing-off 18 “The bool”
61 One way to organize 20 Helen of Troy’s mom gymnopédies
diners at a dessert bar? 23 Moon landers 105 Some Yale students in
66 Steady looker 25 Anthem start
67 Rug woe 28 Yeltsin declared it dead in 1969
68 “Boom-de-ay” lead-in ’91 106 Silly
72 With 84 Across, a 1966 29 Unrefined 107 Loud
song by the Kinks about 30 Egg starter 109 Handle, in Latin
Mussolini? 31 Permit 111 Throng
77 Clothes line? 32 Morse sounds 112 Compass pt.
80 Cockpit concern: abbr. 34 Pile inventor 113 Tilt-nose jet
81 Was ahead 35 Ovine sign 114 “What?”
82 Curved molding 36 Lewd looks 115 Lionel Richie hit, “You
83 “Equal” opening 39 Emulate Betsy Ross
84 See 72 Across 40 Shocked reactions ___”
87 Course number 41 Alaskan island language 116 Coming-out person
88 Regarding 42 1971 post-apocalyptic 117 Bringing Up Baby studio
89 Mr. Geller teen romance film, 119 Born
90 Beta Kappa starter Glen and ___
91 With 102 Across, 43 Actor Carroll
something Jimmy Carter 44 Foe of the Clantons
probably never said at the 45 H.G. Wells’s blond race
Camp David talks in 1978? 46 Scare a little
97 Letter feature 51 TV E.T.
99 Soprano Renata 52 The Jetsons’ dog
100 Manhattan’s Columbus, for 54 Conked out
one: abbr.

The Telegraph

B12 December 22, 2022 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | CALENDAR www.veronews.com

ONGOING and crafts. General admission rates. McKee-
Garden.org or 772-794-0601

Check with organizations directly for up- 28-30 Magic of McKee Festival of
dates/cancelations. Lights, 6 to 8 p.m., with out-
door holiday light displays, entertainment and daily
Vero Beach Museum of Art: Changing Nature: A holiday-themed crafts and games. General admis-
New Vision, Photographs by James Balog thru Dec. sion rates. McKeeGarden.org or 772-794-0601
31 and Picasso, Matisse & Friends: Drawings from
a Private Collection thru Jan. 8. 772-231-0707 29-31 Ballet Vero Beach pres-
ents the original produc-
Riverside Theatre: Weekly Friday & Saturday tion, Nutcracker on the Indian River, 7:30 p.m.
Comedy Zone and Live on the Loop concerts. Fri. and 2 p.m. Sat. at Vero Beach High School
RiversideTheatre.com PAC, $10 to $75. Hour-long Accessible/Family
Friendly performance 7:30 p.m. Thurs., $10.
First Friday Gallery Strolls in Downtown Vero Balletverobeach.org or 772-905-2651
Beach Arts District, monthly from 5 to 8 p.m.
31 Réveillon 2022: An all-white attire
DECEMBER New Year’s Eve Gala hosted by Man-
ny Moreira and Carla Holbrook to benefit the
22|23 Magic of McKee Festival Humane Society of VB & IRC, with live music by
of Lights, 6 to 8 p.m., with the New Deco Group, a multi-media, immersive
large-scale train display, Wurlitzer Band Organ, experience, dinner and open bar, 8:30 p.m. (8
outdoor holiday light displays, entertainment, p.m. VIP) at the Executive Courthouse, followed
at 11 p.m. by champagne and chocolates at the
beach. $275 & $350. NewDecoOrchestra.com

Solutions from Games Pages ACROSS DOWN 31 Heaton’sNYEParty,8:30p.m.to1a.m.,with
in December 15, 2022 Edition 1 SEOUL 1 SCRAM light bites, party favors and midnight toast.
4 DOUBT 2 OUT $75. VIP table packages available. 772-469-4444
8 ADO 3 LEISURE
9 RETRIBUTION 4 DAUBED 31 Costa d’Este Poolside NYE Party, 9
10 MEASURE 5 UNITS p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with music, late-
12 STAIR 6 TANTALISE night bites, and midnight toast. $60; limited VIP
13 UPKEEP 7 MONGREL packages available. 772-562-9919
14 GENIAL 11 AWKWARDLY
17 PEACH 13 UMPTEEN JANUARY
19 RIVIERA 15 ENVIOUS
21 DERMATOLOGY 16 ERRAND
23 EEL 18 HORSE
24 YIELD 20 ABYSS
25 SIDES 22 ODD

Sudoku Page B14 Sudoku Page B15 Crossword Page B14 Crossword Page B15 (SOMETHING IN THE AIR) 3-22 Riverside Theatre presents the
Tony Award-winning musical,
Man of la Mancha on the Stark Stage. 772-231-
6990 or RiversideTheatre.com

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