VERO BEACH WABASSO BEACHSIDE @HometownNewsIndianRiver @hometownnewsirc @HometownNewsIRC Vol. 15, No. 38 www.HometownNewsIRC.com Friday, May 18, 2018 WHAT A CATCH! MEET LANNA SUMMER CAMPS GOING ON A TRIP? Have you found great fish in Would you like to meet a There are activities to ‘Touring with the Treasure Coast waters? See entertain and educate Townies’ features one that didn't get away friendly, playful cat? Visit almost every child, if reader-submitted and see how your own prize the Humane Society you choose quickly photos from travels. could be in the paper soon. Let’s see how many places we can go! CATCH 17 LOOKING FOR A HOME 7 COMMUNITY 14 TOWNIES 16 The DISCOUNT OriginalFURNITURE 2822 S. U.S. #1, Fort Pierce The art of nunchucks County (772) 466-7022 Matthew Ramirez, Andrew Vendryes & real estate LARGEST Lily DeGrado follow MATTRESS along with the market RETAILER instructor during the OVER 45 DIFFERENT nunchuck segment MATTRESSES TO healthy in CHOOSE FROM of Saturday’s Begin- ner Weapons Semi- TWIN MATTRESS nar from the Vero most areas from $69 EA. PC. Beach Karate By Mike Winikoff FULL MATTRESS Association on [email protected] from $85 EA. PC. Saturday, May 5. QUEEN MATTRESS Students training for INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — $ According to the website Zillow, the real from 99 EA. PC. their Yellow and estate market is now healthy in most of KING MATTRESS Orange Belts in Indian River County. from $99 EA. PC. Weapons, ages 7 The website ranks the market for the entire county as “very healthy.” The and up, attended ranking is based on Zillow’s Market PILLOW TOP the event. Health Index, which illustrates how a TWIN MATTRESS region’s housing market compares to other markets across the country. The from $85 EA. PC. index considers ten metrics including FULL MATTRESS past and projected home values, the Anthony Inswasty from $99 EA. PC. number of foreclosures, foreclosure staff photographer re-sales, negative equity and delinquen- QUEEN MATTRESS cy, and the speed at which homes sell. $ from 115 EA. PC. According to Zillow, the median home KING MATTRESS value in Indian River County is $208,741. Home values have gone up 11.3 percent from $115 EA. PC. New football league wants over the past year, and Zillow predicts EACH PIECE PRICES ARE SOLD IN SETS. they will rise 4.7 percent within the next KING SETS ARE 3 PIECES. MATTRESS ONLY ARE SLIGHTLY HIGHER year. The median list price per square foot in Indian River County is $154. The SEE OUR AD ON THE BACK COVER! to make Dodgertown home median price of homes currently listed By Mike Winikoff Commissioners meeting May 1. “If you’ve ever in Indian River County is $289,000. COMMUNITY CALENDAR [email protected] watched a long NFL game and you’ve been bored In assessing the health of the market, or frustrated, this is for you.” Zillow gives much weight to mortgage See VERO BEACH — Your Call Football complet- “YCF integrates three businesses: the business delinquency, when a payment is missed, community of football, the business of fantasy, and the busi- events on ed its brief inaugural season at Dodgertown with the first step to foreclosure. Delinquent page 2 three games on May 3, 10, and 17. If the president ness of gaming, bringing it together for the first mortgages in Indian River County are at time. And we’re doing that all here in your back- of Your Call, Inc., and the County Commission- 1.3 percent, lower than the national 1.6 ers have their way, the upstart league will be back y ard .” percent. to make Vero Beach its home. Ms. Meringer compared YCF to reality TV, INDEX Real estate experts also look at how “Your Call Football can be summed up in four where viewers are given some control, and fanta- many homeowners are underwater on Classified 19 Out & About 13 simple words: fans call the plays,” league Presi- sy TV like Game of Thrones, combined with Crossword 18 Police Report 5 dent Julie Meringer told an enthusiastic County Horoscopes 13 Viewpoint 6 See FOOTBALL, page 10 See MARKET, page 7 REINER FAMILY DENTISTRY Caring Dentistry for the Entire Family DENTAL SERVICES INCLUDE $50 OFF Invisalign • Root Canals • Children 2 years & up Comprehensive Exam & Full Mouth Series of X-rays. Crown & Bridge • Nitrous Oxide to Reduce Anxiety New Patients Only. Offer Expires 5-31-18 Veneers & Bonding • Dental Implants • Extractions (Offer not valid with Insurance or any other coupons) The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment or be reimbursed for Tooth Colored Fillings • Partial Dentures • Dentures payment for any other service. Examination or treatment that is performed 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. D0150, D0210 Laser Surgery for Periodontal Disease (LANAP) Bradley H. Reiner, DMD 3975 20th Street Suite 2th Vero Beach 772-564-0724 • View Lanap Video @ www.yourcosmeticdentist.com Hagen Hastings, DMD 2 Hometown News – VERO BEACH– www.HometownNewsIRC.com Friday, May 18, 2018 Lagoon report card to be revealed in Sebastian By Mike Winikoff $237,000 over “We wanted to first answer whether the worse, there have been fewer resources ded- [email protected] three years. It data even existed to assess the health of the icated by the state to monitor its health, won’t cost as much lagoon. Next, do current regulations ade- instead of more resources. It’s as though a SEBASTIAN — On May 22 at 6 p.m., next time. We had quately protect the lagoon? Which areas of doctor said to you ‘you’re really sick, so county residents will have their first oppor- to go back in time the lagoon are better than others? Are we we’re going to stop taking your temperature tunity to hear about a new Indian River to collect 22 years seeing a change in the lagoon’s health over now.’ It was shocking to see that agency Lagoon Report Card. worth of data. That time? Ultimately, we wanted to answer the monitoring and collection of data would Leesa Souto, Ph.D., Marine Resource was a huge effort question we get every day: is the lagoon get- just disappear over time due to funding Council Executive Director, will outline the that took over a ting better or worse?” cuts.” report and take questions at the Friends of year, and to assem- “The public needs to know if our efforts, “We concluded that there is not enough Sebastian River meeting at the North Coun- ble the data base our restoration strategies, are paying off. We data to fully assess the lagoon’s health. We’re ty Library. and do all the data know it’s going to take a long time to bring not only losing monitor stations, but they “This is the first report card we’ve ever cleaning. That was Leesa Souto the lagoon’s health back, and we want to stopped monitoring for some important done,” Dr. Souto told Hometown News. most of what that demonstrate whether what we’re doing is public health things like bacteria. We don’t “The whole project has cost about money went to.” working. When we find a year where things know whether people should be swimming About $70,000 of that money came from looked good, we’re trying to figure out why in the lagoon or eating fish out of the lagoon. a government contract with The Indian that was so.” Nobody’s monitoring for some key parame- River Lagoon National Estuary Program. While many of the scientific conclusions ters.” “The rest of it has been from local commu- won’t be revealed until the report comes out, “All the data we used in the report card nity supporters, family foundations, corpo- Dr. Souto said one conclusion is that the came from professional state agencies, the rate foundations, and a lot of individual economic downturn in recent years crippled most valid data you can find.” donors,” Dr. Souto said. “This is a commu- research into the health of the lagoon. With the downturn in the state economy nity-funded project.” “We noticed the availability of data has around 2010, Dr. Souto said, Florida state Dr. Souto outlined the questions the actually decreased over time,” Dr. Souto report card seeks to address. said. “As the lagoon’s health has gotten See LAGOON, page 12 on't W Stars D atch T e Be One! Community calendar FRIDAY, MAY 18 more about shelters and how to prepare weather permits. For more information, call properly. In addition, there will be food and (772) 562-2549. • Hangar Party: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Vero drinks, a Kids Zone, live music from Collins Beach Airport, 3450 Airport West Drive, Vero and Company, and a silent auction to benefit THURSDAY, MAY 24 3 Lessons For $20 Beach. Free family event from Florida’s Coast the American Red Cross. The highlight of the to Heartland Chapter of the American Red evening is a planned visit from the National • SKYWARN® spotter training: Held at INDIAN RIVER BALLROOM Cross. Prepare for the upcoming hurricane Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Indian River County Emergency (772) 794-9040 season with local exhibitors and learning with tours of a "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft if 845 16th Place • Vero Beach See CALENDAR, page 3 ur body yo will follow! AREA'S BEST BUSINESS REVIEW Presented by: Metro News ©2018 All Rights Reserved. 1-918-234-7768 Spending more and buying less? Maybe you should be shopping at WALMART in Sebastian, where your dollar goes a lot further! Conveniently located at 2001 US-1., phone (772) 589-8528; this full line department store offers something that most other stores can’t compete with… the area’s very lowest prices on EVERYTHING! Food to feed your family, toys to entertain your children, school supplies, sporting goods, tools, and auto accessories.