Applications for 53rd Annual Halloween Parade being accepted

Several fights erupt at VBHS; 14 students arrested

VERO BEACH — Several fights erupted on the campus of Vero Beach High School, leading officials to place the school on a precautionary code yellow lockdown Wednesday morning, school district officials said. Fourteen students were arrested after the incident, Indian River County sheriff's spokesperson Keith Carson said. Details on the charges for the students were not immediately available. The lockdown, which lasted more than two hours, was lifted in the early afternoon. No serious injuries were reported. "An internal discipline issue resulted in several fights on the campus at the Freshman Learning Center," School District of Indian River County spokesperson Cristen Maddux said Wednesday morning. "Law enforcement is on the scene to assist administrators in restoring order. The campus is ...

Ballroom dancing comes to the island with Friday soirees at Bethel Creek House

Vero Beach’s popular Friday evening ballroom and country dances have moved to the elegant wood floor at Bethel Creek House near Jaycee Park, with the first dance taking place last week. Joe and Sharri Tessier, of Swingsation’s 14th Avenue Dance Studio, began the festivities with a free dance lesson at 7 p.m. at the city-owned banquet hall, 4405 North A1A. The Tessiers then provide the music for ballroom dancing until 10 p.m. with dance mixers and line dances sprinkled in. Vero Beach Community Center, 2140 14th Ave., is downtown’s dance mecca, hosting several classes and dances each week, but the hard composite floor makes it more difficult to maneuver smoothly and comfortably for an entire evening. “We’re really excited about ...

Weekly dances resume at Vero Beach Community Center

In another sign of life here edging back toward normal, weekly dances resumed Friday at the Vero Beach Community Center after a year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as dozens of ballroom dance enthusiasts swayed to the Big Band sounds of the Jay Miller Band. The band was a smaller version of the larger Jay Miller Band that played regularly at the community center prior to the pandemic.  “Some [band members] have left, some have passed away,” said Trumpet player Herb Bradley. “We are playing with the remnants.” Despite the smaller band, some 50 people, mostly retired couples, showed up to dance on Friday. They wore face masks inside the spacious Community Center and kept their distance from other ...