Vero Sings for the Victims on tap for April 17

Appeals court denies Damien Gilliams’ request to remove judge from case

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Fourth District Court of Appeal last Friday denied Damien Gilliams' request to have Circuit Court Judge Michael Linn removed from his criminal case, court records show. Gilliams, a former Sebastian City Councilmember convicted on charges of violation of the Sunshine Law and perjury, filed a motion on June 14 requesting Linn be removed from his case. Gilliams said he feared he did not receive a fair trial because of prejudice or bias from Linn, noting that Linn's wife previously worked at the state attorney's office. Gilliams and another former councilmember, Pamela Rapp Parris, were both convicted last month on charges stemming from an April 22, 2020 meeting described by prosecutors as illegal. Prosecutors said the ...

Low beach attendance for January; no water rescues

VERO BEACH — While chilly temperatures caused a drop in beach attendance last month, lifeguards are happy to report that there were no water rescues that occurred in January. "It's a great thing," Vero Beach Lifeguard Association officials said in a statement. "We hope people are paying attention to lifeguards and condition signs before they go into the water." The Vero Beach Lifeguard Association recently released its monthly report for the beaches at Jaycee Park, Humiston Park and South Beach Park. Lifeguards said about 54,105 beachgoers flocked to the shore in January. The highest beach-attendance record of 65,700 was set in 2019 for Vero Beach, lifeguards said. The record low for beach attendance was set in 2016 with 36,000 people, ...

Fertilizer restrictions to go into effect next month

A reminder from the Indian River Neighborhood Association to residents of Indian River County, City of Vero Beach, Sebastian and Orchid. We are coming into our rainy season when more nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous are likely to be washed from our lawns, driveways and roads into the storm water system and, ultimately, into our local waterways such as the Indian River Lagoon. The fertilizer ordinances passed by our communities goes into effect June 1st. It prohibits the use of lawn fertilizer between June 1st and September 30th. No fertilizer containing Phosphorous is to be used anytime. All fertilizers must contain at least 50% slow release Nitrogen. Finally, no fertilizer is to be applied within 10 feet of any ...