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2 weeks ago | 
veronews.com | Samantha Baita
Nine amazingly gifted young singers wowed a large, appreciative audience as they performed during the Season Finale Concert of the Vero Beach Opera’s 2025 Rising Stars Vocal Competition, held at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
veronews.com | Samantha Baita
Embracing the very essence of grandeur, the Vero Beach Opera’s annual members-only gala, A Night at the Opera, took place at the Grand Harbor Clubhouse, which resonated with warmth and holiday cheer. The glittering crowd of men in black tie and women in elegant attire mixed and mingled during an evening that glowed under the skillful hands of event chair Marcia Loewinger.
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Nov 27, 2024 | 
veronews.com | Samantha Baita
It was a reunion like no other, one in which descendants of Vero’s pioneer families gathered at the Heritage Center to celebrate the legacies of the men and women whose impact significantly influenced the growth and character of our still ‘charming little city by the sea.’From 2000 to 2019, the nonprofit Vero Heritage Inc., which manages the Heritage Center and its adjacent Citrus Museum, hosted a series of Pioneer Family Dinners to honor families individually.
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Oct 21, 2024 | 
veronews.com | Samantha Baita
A terrific venue, a sold-out house, impeccable execution and the unwavering determination of Indian River Charter High School students, staff and parents resulted in a highly successful Fashion for Freedom fundraiser.
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Sep 11, 2024 | 
veronews.com | Samantha Baita
One of the island’s newest residents, teenager Sophia Hlushchenko, escaped her Russian-occupied homeland in Ukraine and arrived in Vero just in time to attend orientation at Indian River Charter High School and start fall classes with her new classmates. The affinity Sophia and her friend Alexandra “Sasha” Anikina, the most enthusiastic supporter of Hlushchenko’s American dream, developed half a world apart via Zoom made her arrival here even more exciting.
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Aug 14, 2024 | 
veronews.com | Samantha Baita
Early on a sunny Saturday, dozens of visitors waited in line for the 8:30 a.m. opening of McKee Botanical Garden’s 19th annual Waterlily Celebration. Most of the eager bunch were armed with cameras, or easels, paint and canvas, and had arisen early in order to catch a few final glimpses of the elusive night-blooming waterlilies, which open at dusk and tuck in their stunning petals as the sun rises.
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Jul 24, 2024 | 
veronews.com | Samantha Baita
Eight months after 16-year-old Ukrainian student Sophia Hlushchenko submitted a video application to Indian River Charter High School’s international program, teachers and students are eagerly preparing for her arrival in Vero. Among those spearheading the effort to raise the $20,000 to get Sophia out of Russian-occupied Ukraine and fund her travel and educational expenses is Alexsandra Anikina – Sasha to her friends – a 17-year-old junior in the international program.
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Jun 1, 2024 | 
vb32963online.com | Samantha Baita
The Environmental Learning Center is finally moving forward with its multimillion-dollar expansion master plan. According to Board Chairman Don Barr, a $1 million donation for an education and event pavilion earlier this year and a more recent $100,000 donation for a pontoon dock have made it possible to get those projects underway.
“We hope to complete both within 12-18 months,” Barr said.
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Jun 1, 2024 | 
vb32963online.com | Samantha Baita
After years of no growth following the real estate downturn, Grand Harbor is springing back to life with construction of more than 200 new homes – condominiums, courtyard homes, single-family homes and luxury waterfront properties, with prices ranging from about $400,000 to $2 million – in four new villages.
Christopher Cleary, developer’s agent and construction manager for GH Vero Beach Development, LLC, says all four communities will be built simultaneously.
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May 30, 2024 | 
veronews.com | Samantha Baita
After languishing for years, the vacant three-parcel property on U.S. 1 where the defunct Press Journal building used to stand is being prepared for its next iteration – as the site of a storage facility, a carwash and a fast-food restaurant. With the newspaper building demolished, “site work for the new development is under construction,” says Vero Beach Planning and Development Director Jason Jeffries.
