INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Representative Bill Posey has been recognized by a national animal welfare group for his work on behalf of animals.

FLORIDA — The Florida Attorney General's Attorney office has filed suit against the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Biden administration arguing that the federal shutdown of the nation’s cruise industry is outdated.

TREASURE COAST — With manatees on the move due to changing water temperatures, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is urging boaters to slow down, especially in marked manatee zones.

FELLSMERE — In President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, about $360 billion is earmarked to help state and local governments mitigate the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — At the Pelican Island Audubon Society annual meeting on March 15, Audubon recognized special outstanding contributions individuals have made to our chapter and our community.

VERO BEACH — The Indian River County Solid Waste Disposal District is partnering with Southeast Secure Shredding and Waste Management to bring residents free paper shredding services on April 17 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Southeast Secure Shredding in Vero Beach.

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Indian River County Commissioners voted on April 6 to raise the age to purchase tobacco products to 21.

VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach City Council has chosen former mayor Dick Winger, 83, to fill the council seat formerly held by Joe Graves. Mr. Winger was previously a councilmember for six years. Mr. Graves resigned on March 5 because he had moved out of the city.

FLORIDA — Attorney General Ashley Moody is encouraging vigilance in the face of vaccine-related scams.

VERO BEACH - The Vero Beach Museum of Art has two current exhibits that are very much worth seeing.

VERO BEACH - The debate over reducing the number of lanes in the “Twin Pairs” section of SR60 through downtown Vero Beach has returned to the agenda of the Vero Beach City Council.

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY - Thanks in part to the generosity of Hometown News readers, the third annual Vero Beach Sock Drive for the homeless was an overwhelming success.

Ocean exploration is getting easier thanks to Triton Submarines

VERO BEACH - Sea turtle nesting season in Indian River County is March 1 through Oct. 31. The non-profit organization Coastal Connections invites everybody to celebrate the season at their inaugural Tipsy Turtle 2 Mile run/walk on Sat., April 10 from 8-11 a.m., rain or shine, at Sexton Plaza…

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY - Indian River County’s Practical Nursing program at Treasure Coast Technical College has been ranked as the number one Practical Nursing program in Florida by Nursing Schools Almanac.

FLORIDA – AAA - The Auto Club Group, is urging drivers to focus on the road ahead of them and not on their smartphones in April which is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

FLORIDA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has updated its National Flood Insurance Program’s pricing methodology in an effort to create more equitable pricing.

FLORIDA - As of March 29 water temperatures off Key West were around 81.5 degrees Fahrenheit, about five degrees above normal. That does not bode well for the 2021 hurricane season, according to the meteorologists at AccuWeather.

FLORIDA - Florida has joined a 13-state coalition in filing suit against the federal government's effort to limit the ability of states to cut taxes in return for economic aid.

FLORIDA – Florida has joined a bipartisan coalition of 44 other states who are calling on eBay, Shopify and Twitter to stop scammers from selling fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards on their platforms.

FLORIDA - The number of Florida law enforcement officer killed this year has now risen to 11 and more than half of the deaths are the result of violent attacks on police officers. Only 2 two line-of-duty deaths had occurred during the same time period last year.

VERO BEACH - The story, "A Cup of Friendship" will come to life when a saxophone quartet from the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra presents another installment of the popular Once Upon an Orchestra musical series for children.

FLORIDA - The opioid crisis continues to ravage Florida, with close to 17 people dying each day due to overdoses.

FLORIDA – Florida's share of a deceptive marketing settlement agreement with Boston Scientific is $11.5 million.

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY - Indian River County teens and veterans came together recently to collaborate for the “Teens Listen” program offered through the Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation.

VERO BEACH - The Vero Beach City Council will hold public hearings concerning the long-planned Cultural Arts Village in the Edgewood neighborhood west of downtown Vero Beach. The hearings will be held on April 6 at 8:30 a.m. and April 20 at 5 p.m.

VERO BEACH - Diamond Drinks, a Pennsylvania-based company that bottles and distributes a variety of beverages, has applied to Indian River County for a jobs grant and a tax exemption to aid their upcoming expansion into Indian River County. County staff has recommended approval of a jobs gra…

VERO BEACH - On March 17, Treasure Coast Food Bank launched Market Fresh on the Move, a healthy food access program to make it easier for low-income families to obtain nutritious food by bringing a mobile grocery store to their neighborhoods.

VERO BEACH - Piper Aircraft announced March 22 that Simon Caldecott will retire effective April 2, 2021 after nearly ten years as the company’s president and CEO and 47 years in the aviation industry.

FLORIDA – A measure to encourage private developers to help restore seagrass in Florida's coastal estuaries has cleared the Florida State House Environment, Agriculture and Flooding Subcommittee.

FLORIDA - As the latest round of standardized college entrance examinations gets underway, the Attorney General's office is advising parents to beware of emerging standardized test preparation scams.

FLORIDA - Governor Ron DeSantis has announced new eligibility guidelines for COVID-19 vaccinations in Florida.

FLORIDA – The Attorney General's office has issued a Consumer Alert warning Floridians about an increase in phone calls from impostors posing as Florida law enforcement officers.

FELLSMERE - The Fellsmere City Council has voted to apply for a $600,000 grant from the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection for improvements to the North Broadway median.

FLORIDA – The arrival of spring brings increased energy usage, especially since many of us continue to spend more time at home.

FLORIDA – A bill that would help the Florida tourism industry recover from the ongoing pandemic has been re-introduced in the U.S. House by Florida Representatives Bill Posey (R-FL) and Charlie Crist (D-FL).

FLORIDA - U.S. Representatives Bill Posey (R-Florida) and Charlie Crist (D-Florida) reintroduced the American Space Commerce Act, H.R. 1369, in support of American leadership in space.

FLORIDA - A Consumer Alert has been issued warning Floridians of the possibility that scammers will renew efforts to get a piece of the millions in stimulus money being distributed by the federal government this month.

FLORIDA - Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy filing will soon make available additional funding to help Florida and other states alleviate the damage done by the opioid crisis.

FLORIDA - The State of Florida has joined with 14 other states in a lawsuit against Google for what the complaint claims is the internet search giant's multiple violations of federal and state antitrust and consumer protection laws.

FLORIDA - The Florida Office of Financial Regulation has joined the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in a joint civil enforcement action against precious metals dealers for perpetrating a nationwide $185 million fraudulent scheme targeting the elderly.

FLORIDA - The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has upgraded the Florida 511 (FL511) Advanced Traveler Information System ahead of the 2021 hurricane season.

VERO BEACH – The Treasure Coast Food Bank has announced the launch of 'Market Fresh on the Move'.

VERO BEACH - Vero Beach City Councilmember Joe Graves has resigned. The city council, which will choose his replacement, is soliciting applications.

VERO BEACH - The Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation is halfway through their schedule of adult writing workshops, but there is still time to sign up for any or all of the final three classes.

TREASURE COAST - Manatees are dying at an unusually high rate so far in 2021, nearly tripling the normal numbers.

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY - There was a rare standing ovation at the Indian River County Commissioners meeting on March 16, when commissioners passed a resolution supporting construction of a new, privately-funded cultural center in Gifford. The center may include a library, studios, galleries, co…

VERO BEACH - Riverside Theatre for Kids has announced its class schedule for Spring 2021. Director of Theatre Education Kevin Quillinan will lead an all virtual slate of eight-week classes March 29 through May 19. The theater hopes to resume in-person summer camps and classes in June.

FELLSMERE - The Fellsmere City Council is looking to expand broadband service.

VERO BEACH - Artist Pamela Pike Gordinier, a part-time Vero Beach resident, will present a unique exhibition intended to provoke “soul searching” about race. The exhibition, called “3 Steps Forward – 2 Steps Back”, will premier at Raw Space Gallery in Vero Beach from April 2 - 30. The openin…