Read more about the article The CHANGE SEEKER
Kristy Wheeler Conway marvels at how much her life has changed since the first scholarship she received at Indian River State College. Once a foster child, she seeks to better the lives of children on the Treasure Coast, working evenings at the GED program on the Pruitt Campus of IRSC where she helps students complete the program and apply for scholarships. ANTHONY INSWASTY

The CHANGE SEEKER

Her first childhood memories are of life in a foster home. She and her siblings moved from foster care back to their home only to be returned to foster care again, with the cycle repeating as her family moved back and forth between the Jacksonville area and towns in south Georgia. She remembers the plastic bag that held her clothes and the few belongings she had. “You never wanted to lose sight of that bag,” she says. “It was all you had.”

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Read more about the article Book lovers rejoice
First-time customer John Hilkene peruses the varied used book selections at The Book Exchange before selecting a John Jakes novel. ELLEN GILLETTE PHOTOS

Book lovers rejoice

Entrepreneur Osman Rashid predicted, “By 2025, we can expect the world to be completely digital. Paper books will be a thing of the past.” Many book lovers would shout, “Nonsense!” Getting rid of libraries and bookstores would be, to them, as ridiculous and culturally catastrophic as settling for poster prints of masterpieces instead of viewing originals in museums.

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Read more about the article Kids’ health
Dr. Michael Jampol, one of three pediatricians practicing at Cleveland Clinic Health in Port St. Lucie, jokes with one happy patient and his family. CLEVELAND CLINIC

Kids’ health

Although South Florida enjoys a reputation as a retirement destination, almost 30 percent of Port St. Lucie is younger than 21. Responsible parents place their children’s health and safety at the top of wish lists, so for those who want to find a local pediatrician or change pediatricians, the focus is on two of the fastest growing areas in St. Lucie County — St. Lucie West and Tradition.

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Read more about the article Beautiful simplicity
A frequent design element throughout Skip and Jeanette Hartzell’s Port St. Lucie home is concrete walls with just the finish left behind by the form boards. Shiny concrete floors are everywhere in the home, studio, gallery and guest house.

Beautiful simplicity

Nestled into a quiet section of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River is the only waterfront industrial chic compound in the City of Port St. Lucie.

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Read more about the article Tribute to Dot Adams
Bud and Dot at a football game around the time they started dating.

Tribute to Dot Adams

As we prepare on Wednesday to celebrate the life of Dorothy Snively “Dot Adam,’’ wife of late iconic rancher Bud Adams, we pay tribute to her pioneering spirit. Dot was a Cypress Gardens Belle from Winter Haven attending Florida State University when she met Bud, a student attending rival University of Florida. Bud called her “the best looking girl at FSU.’’ After they married in 1949, they made their home at Adams Ranch west of Fort Pierce, where Dot embraced the rugged lifestyle. Her closest neighbors were native Seminoles. Their 68-year union produced three sons, 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Bud died in 2017 at the age of 91 and Dot died May 4, also at the age of 91, after a 14-year battle with Alzheimer’s. The celebration of life for Dot is at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 15, at Adams Ranch Headquarters, 26003 Orange Ave., Fort Pierce, 34945.

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Read more about the article Cornucopia of creativity
In the early days of Vero Beach, Florida Theatre on 14th Avenue was the center of entertainment for the community. BRACKETT COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY

Cornucopia of creativity

In the 1920s, even before there was an Indian River County, there was entertainment. Movies were shown at Vero Theatre, where, it’s said, Sheriff Billy Frick and his wife, Adelaide, former entertainers, created Vero Follies, featuring talented people from the community. The Civic Players presented plays in the 1930s and the seasonal Tourist Club had a mixed chorus that sang in community concerts and put on variety shows.

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Read more about the article From barren to beautiful
The first House of Refuge in Florida, built by the U.S. Lifesaving Service at Bethel Creek in 1876, was one of the first European-style buildings constructed on what is now Vero Beach. The Houses of Refuge were built along Florida’s coast line to provide a safe haven for people shipwrecked. The houses were located about 15 to 20 miles apart, a day’s walk from one another. This photo of the House of Refuge at Bethel Creek was taken in 1908. VANDIVEER COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY

From barren to beautiful

With mosquitoes as thick as the dense palmettos and being only accessible by boat, the barrier island of Vero Beach was deemed uninhabitable by early settlers.

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