Backgammon players gathering at Indian River Mall

Basketball-spinning, dunks and more as iconic Harlem Globetrotters visit SRHS

SEBASTIAN — Luke Laoutas was excited when the Harlem Globetrotters picked him out of a crowd of several hundred people to come to the court. With a little help from the exhibition-style basketball team, the energetic 8-year-old made a shot from the free-throw line while blindfolded. Cheers from the audience flooded the indoor-gym as the Globetrotters gave Laoutas - who was still smiling- an autographed jersey. "It was pretty cool," said Laoutas, who lives in Port St. Lucie and plays basketball and hockey. Laoutas' mom, Mary Huffstetter, of Port St. Lucie, said watching her son interact with the iconic Globetrotters in front of hundreds was a dream come true. "I watched the Harlem Globetrotters years ago," Huffstetter said. "I love ...

Sears announces mass closures, including Indian River Mall

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Struggling retail giant Sears will close more than 20 stores nationwide later this year including its location at the similarly faltering Indian River Mall. The retailer’s parent company announced Tuesday it will shutter 26 Sears and Kmart locations — including two in Florida — this fall after seeing experiencing “a number of challenges returning our stores to sustainable levels of productivity,” including a weak retail environment. Transform Holdco, the parent company controlled by Sears’ former CEO and largest shareholder, Edward Lampert and his hedge fund, wants to shift to smaller stores by opening more of the new appliance and mattress-focused Sears Home & Life stores that debuted in May and adding several hundred Sears Hometown stores ...

Teen suspected of pointing BB gun at girl in movie theatre

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 13-year-old boy is suspected of pointing a BB gun at a 14-year-old girl while she and her friend were at a theater watching a movie. The 13-year-old, of the 4000 block of 42nd Square, Gifford, was charged with aggravated assault. Details on if he is being held at the Indian River County Jail or was taken to a juvenile detention center were not available. Deputies responded to an exhibition of a weapon about 11 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Indian River Mall, 6200 20th Street. Deputies arrived and spoke with two boys. One of them had a BB gun hidden in his pants. The first boy said he and his friend, the 13-year-old, were in the ...