Children’s Home Society receives $500,000 from Kresge Foundation

SRHS teen dies after being pulled in by rip current at the beach

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — An 18-year-old Sebastian River High School senior died after a rip current pulled him underwater for several minutes at Treasure Shores Park on Friday, officials said. The student, whose name was not publicly released, was a well-respected member of the school's band and set to graduate next Thursday. "The School District of Indian River County is heartbroken to confirm the tragic passing of a Sebastian River High School senior who drowned at the beach after school hours earlier today. Although this incident did not occur during a school-sponsored activity, the loss of one of our students is felt deeply across the entire school community," Cristen Maddux, spokesperson for the School District, said in a statement. "Throughout ...

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, ...

Sheriff’s candidates say George Floyd’s death, national response will be an issue in their race

All five candidates for sheriff say the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month and subsequent nationwide protests will be an issue in the race here, and they expect to be asked about it as they campaign. Two of them – Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry and retired Sheriff’s Capt. Chuck Kirby – have addressed the incident extensively on their campaign Facebook pages, where they also discussed the strategies they would employ to prevent and respond to any such incidents involving their deputies. They also expressed a need to improve the relationship between the county’s largest law enforcement agency and the local black community. Touchberry condemned both the actions of the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt ...