Lighthouse Point Magazine, December 2022

ou are most certainly aware that we are in the midst of unprecedented activity in the high-end real estate market… resulting in critically low inventory of million dollar-plus properties like yours. Consequently, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sell your important property to fully maximize your ROI.

Since Premier Estate Properties has achieved the majority of recently closed as well as pending million dollar-plus sales in your marketplace, we are privy to market valuations that are not yet public knowledge. That makes us uniquely qualified to guide you in accurately valuing your ultraluxury property.

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Respectfully,

PRESENTED BY Kevin R. Kreutzfeld

Direct: 954.449.7883 Mobile: 954.895 13 0 0 Kevinkreutzfeld.info kevin@premierestateproperties.com

COASTALRESORTESTATES.COM

We want to thank you for all the years of working together with us.

Cathy & Jack Prenner

The holidays are a time for giving, and this year, we're putting the focus on others in need....That's why we're asking you to help us out! We're collecting unwrapped toys at our office from now until December 15th to donate to The Beacon of Hope in Pine Island, FL. for families affected by hurricane Ian.

5.0

Cathy and Jack Prenner did an outstanding job selling our house! Their knowledge and experience was a crucial component that contributed to the process starting with an analysis of our area and continuing advice. We could not be happier with the Prenner Team!

~ S & H

5.0

Very responsive and proactive. Knowledgeable of area and enjoyable to work with. Patient and will give honest opinions of a home, offer, etc. - not just trying to get a sale done. We were first time home buyers and they were great.

~ Rob

Cathy : 954.415.1057 Jack: 954.480.7281 cathy@prenner.com www.Prenner.com

Cathy and Jack Prenner

PA, GRI, CRS, SRES, CLHMS, GUILD, MBF

4110 NE 30th Ave

Lighthouse POINT | $1,995,000

Long water views up to the North Grand canal from this Venetian Isles home located just three doors from the Yacht Club! The home is positioned on the turn of the canal giving you views up the canal from the kitchen, dining room, family room and backyard. Very clean home with an open floor plan and impact windows and doors. The yard features a large covered area, new poly-wood dock with fish cleaning station and a 16,000 pound boat lift. There are not homes directly across the street which gives you a private feel. This is a fantastic home in a great location. We call this the yacht club neighborhood in Lighthouse Point Florida.

JOHN PUTZIG 954-263-6877 johnputzigre@gmail.com

SUE NELSON 954-242-6400 SueAtLHP@aol.com

WOW!

LOOK AT ALL OF THE GREAT STORES IN THE SHOPPES AT BEACON LIGHT.

PERSONAL SERVICES

Beacon Coin Laundry Chip LaMarca State Representative Complete Fitness Education Station

Medical Diagnostic Rehab Nob Hill Medical Center Pet Haven Venetian Luggage and Shoe Repair

INSURANCE, FINANCE & REAL ESTATE

Allstate Bee Insurance Edward Jones ReMax State Farm Summit Builders

SALONS

& SPAS

Beacon Light Barber & Salon Blue Room Salon Extravagant Pampering Glow a Blowdry Bar Posh Aesthetics Academy Shear Excitement Top Nails Tropical Wax & Tan Wellness Center

RETAIL

Body & Soul Boutique Dazzles Sally Beauty The UPS Store

RESTAURANTS & LOUNGES

Fetta Republic Fish Shack Golden China Jugo Boss Lighthouse Thai & Sushi Offerdahl’s Sicilian Oven Snowtime The Buccaneer Your

Located on the East-side of Federal Highway between 24th and 25th Street, two blocks North of Copans Road.

PROVIDING A GLOBAL FOUNDATION FOR OUR FUTUREMAKERS

• We empower our children to be self-driven and the world’s best problem solvers • Students starting in PK3 through 12th grade dive into an exhilarating curriculum powered by our collaboration with MIT • As an Apple Distinguished School, we integrate technology in our innovative courses such as programming, engineering, robotics, and much more

75 82 92

The Community Foundation of Broward County

Learn about the Community Foundation of Broward County and how they positively impact our corner of the world. Sponsored Content

The Origins of Covid-19

The Wuhan lab at the center of suspicions about the pandemic’s onset was far more troubled than known, documents unearthed by a Senate team reveal. Tracing the evidence, Vanity Fair and ProPublica give the clearest view yet of a biocomplex in crisis.

By Katherine Eban, Vanity Fair, and Jeff Kao, ProPublica

An Insider’s Guide to Mexico City

Take one Mexican restaurant owner/chef (Emilio Dominguez), add one adventurous magazine publisher then several local residents; then take them deep into the food scene of a city of 23 million people. They visited the places food is grown, markets where its sold, streets where it is cooked. They explored bravely. And yes, much tequila and a few insects were consumed.

By Richard Rosser

contents

ON THE COVER Emilio Dominguez, Zeke Williams, Mindee Rock, Eric Rode, Jamie Johnson, Shelby Barras, and Mike Peters at Xochimilco (Zo-chee-milco), on one of the 15,000 brightly-painted, human-powered boats that traverse hundreds of miles of canals in the 47 square miles Xochimilco Ecological Park (Parqué Ecológico Xochimilco).

CLOCKWISE The Rotary Club Fashion Show; Santa makes several appearances around town this month; a Pro-Publica report on the origins of Covid 19, and a group of locals traveled to Mexico City with Emilio Dominguez, owner of Casa Maya to explore Mexico City

•

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circulation

Lighthouse Point magazine is published monthly by Point! Publishing and delivered free of charge to residents of Lighthouse Point and selected homes in Deerfield Beach. Copies of Lighthouse Point magazine are available at UPS, Red Fox and the Lighthouse Point Library.

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Drop us a line and let us know what you’re thinking. Lighthouse Point magazine is all about community. Your ideas and comments are important to us. All letters to the editor may be edited for grammar and length. Send letters to: Editor, Lighthouse Point magazine 2436 N. Federal Hwy. #311 Lighthouse Point, FL 33064 or email editor@pointpubs.com

Lighthouse Point and Deerfield Beach! magazines are owned and published 12 times per year by Point! Publishing, LLC. Copyright 2022 by Point! Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the prior written consent of Point Publishing, LLC.

Requests for permission should be directed to: editor@pointpubs.com.

Saturday in the Park

BY SUSAN ROSSER

While editing photos for our November issue, I came across the one pictured below, taken at Frank McDonough Park at a Saturday morning kids’ soccer game. All I could think was, do these people know how lucky they are?

Don’t get me wrong, now that my kids are adults, I enjoy them even more. Yet, looking at this photo filled me with nostalgia for those mornings at the park.

could this really be?” As it turns out, my above-average ability to rationalize eased many problematic laundry situations. Don’t get me started on bringing snacks and drinks for the team. What can I say? I’m not a very good planner. There always seemed to be a last-minute dash to Publix for Gatorade and Doritos. If I did manage to buy the snacks and drinks in advance, then unfailingly, when I would retrieve the cooler, it would be filthy and require a complete hose down.

At the time, I remember plenty of Saturday mornings when I would have preferred to lounge in bed, sip coffee and read instead of rushing to the park, kids in tow, trying to teach them the importance of punctuality, teamwork and commitment.

When my kids were little, my sister Jaimee told me my job as a parent was to make memories for my children. And although there was a lot of racing around and rushed dinners, I’d like to think that all those evenings and Saturday mornings at the park rank high on my kids’ list of childhood memories.

Of course, not all of it was a vision of family perfection. I remember flying around the house like a crazed mosquito, searching for misplaced uniforms. And back then, I was certain a tiny gremlin was secretly perched in my dryer, pilfering soccer socks and teleporting them to another dimension where children are always perfectly outfitted for all school and sporting events. And I probably shouldn’t put this in writing, but there were times I grabbed shorts or a jersey out of the hamper and asked myself, “truthfully, how dirty

If you’re lucky like me, you not only love your kids, you like them too. So when they become adults, which happens with such speed it practically defies all laws of nature, you actually enjoy them even more. After all, now the four of us can share a charcuterie board and a bottle of sauvignon blanc — sure beats Doritos and Gatorade. Y

ABOVE Youth sports at Frank McDonough Park in Lighthouse Point Jeff Graves for Lighthouse Point magazine

THE LOWDOWN

Lighthouse A’ Glow

Wednesday, Dec. 7 | 6:30pm - 8:30pm

WHERE: Frank McDonough Park, 3500 NE 27th Ave., Lighthouse Point

WHAT: Make holiday memories with your family, friends and neighbors at one of the city’s most beloved annual events, Lighthouse A’Glow.

Santa Around the Point

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 17 and Sunday, Dec. 18 | 4 – 6pm

WHERE: The streets of Lighthouse Point

WHAT: Yup, Santa is making that list and checking it twice, and lucky for all the kids in Lighthouse Point, Santa will be making appearances around town. So remember to be nice and not naughty so Santa will keep you on his list!

Ocean Way Holiday

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 3 | 5 – 9pm

WHERE: Main Beach Parking Lot, 149 SE 21st Ave., Deerfield Beach COST: Free, but must pay to park WHAT: Revelers will enjoy the lighting ceremony, live entertainment, a holiday character show, photos with Santa, a giant interactive snow globe, stilt walkers, and more!

The 60th Annual Greater Pompano Beach/Lighthouse Point

Deerfield Beach Holiday Boat

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 | 7 – 9pm

WHERE: Intracoastal Waterway from Lake Santa Barbara to Sullivan Park.

WHAT: There’s magic and excitement in the air as over 50 boats decorated with holiday lights, music, dancing, Mr. & Mrs. Claus, and holiday cheers from the crowd viewing the parade up the Intracoastal Waterway!

The parade begins at Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach and heads north past the judges’ stand at The Sands Resort & Marina and continues to the Hillsboro Bridge and around Sullivan Park in Deerfield Beach. The bridges of Atlantic Boulevard, 14th Street Causeway,

Parade

and Hillsboro Boulevard will be upright from 6:15pm until the parade passes by, so please plan accordingly.

VIEWING AREA

PUBLIC

RESTAURANT

VIEW THE LIVESTREAM on the Pompano Beach Margate Lighthouse Point Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page

LIVE VIEWING STANDS- Alsdorf Park in Pompano Beach (limited stadium seating) and Sullivan Park in Deerfield Beach

VIEWING- Sands Harbor Resort & Marina, Sunset Catch by Mario, The Cove Waterfront Restaurant

Home for the Holidays with Levi Kreis Bell’Arte Concert Series

WHERE: Pompano Beach Cultural Center, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach

WHEN: Dec. 6 | 7:00 pm COST: $45

WHAT: As part of a series of salon-styled concerts, the December performance will feature Tony Award Winner Levi Kreis performing his popular Home for the Holidays concert. This East Tennessee native is best known for his gospel-rich vocals and church-inspired piano style. He is beloved for his “southern style,” which has defined some of his best-known songs. Tickets include a postshow champagne and dessert reception with a chance to meet and greet the artist.

Breakfast with Santa

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 17 | 9 – 11am

WHERE: Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, 1801 NE Sixth St., Pompano Beach

COST: $7

WHAT: Santa Claus is making his list, checking it twice and coming to the Emma Lou Olson Civic Center in Pompano Beach to have breakfast with many lucky boys and girls! Limited availability. Parents require a ticket as well.

It’s a Wonderful Life

Film Screening

of the 1946 Holiday Classic

WHERE: Pompano Beach Cultural Center, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 22 | 7pm COST: $5

WHAT: Get into the holiday spirit with a screening of the classic holiday film, “It’s A Wonderful Life” starring James Stewart and Donna Reed! Come dressed in your favorite holiday sweater, costume or outfit for a chance to win tickets to upcoming cultural events programs.

Stranahan House Victorian Christmas Tours

WHEN: Friday-Sunday, Dec. 16 – 18 and Friday, Dec. 23. There is a maximum of 10 visitors per tour.

WHERE: Stranahan House, 335 SE Sixth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale

COST: $25/non-members and $20/museum members

WHAT: The Historic Stranahan House Museum will be decking the halls, the walls and more with spectacular Victorian era décor for the Victorian Christmas Tours in December.

“This is a favorite holiday tradition,” said Christine Yates, president of the Stranahan House board of directors. “The Victorian Christmas Tours are magical and take us back to the holidays in another era. The décor is truly breathtaking.”

Stranahan House will be transformed to capture the grandeur of a traditional Victorian Christmas. Costumed tour guides narrate the origins of many holiday traditions and demonstrate how pioneers celebrated Christmas as they take guests on a whimsical journey of Christmas past amid picture-perfect Victorian era décor. Tours are one hour and tickets can be purchased at stranahanhouse.org/events.

Seraphic Fire Christmas

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 15 | 7pm

WHERE: Pompano Beach Cultural Center, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach COST: $65

WHAT: Within a candle-lit setting, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will quiet, and the a cappella voices of Seraphic Fire will fill the room with musical peace and joy. Enjoy familiar favorites such as the hauntingly simple, yet lush “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree’” and the enchanting “Silent Night.”

Learn Something New at The Charlotte Burrie Civic Center

WHERE: Charlotte Burrie Center, 2669 N Federal Highway, Pompano Beach

Line Dancing

WHEN: Fridays | 2:30– 3:30pm COST: $8/class WHAT: Ages 18 and Up

Yarn and Ewe

WHEN: Thursdays | 2 – 5pm COST: Free

WHAT: Learn how to knit, crochet, weave, needlepoint, embroider and cross stitch.

Yoga

WHEN: Wednesdays | 6:30pm and Saturdays | 1pm COST: $15/class. Registration fee required of $10/residents or $20/non-residents

Tips for Good Senior Oral Health

We’re not getting any younger! How many times have you heard this lament? Thanks to medical advancements, people are living longer than ever. Of course, this means taking better care of your oral health. Like other aspects of your healthcare, seniors need to approach oral health slightly differently. It might mean switching up your regular oral care routine to include new steps or products. With many factors working against you, a solid oral care routine is more important than ever!

• Brush at least twice per day. Use toothpaste that contains fluoride.

• Floss daily, at least once.

• Use an antiseptic mouthwash at least once per day.

• See your dentist every six months for an oral exam and professional cleaning. Paying extra attention to your teeth and gums is crucial for older adults. It might not be possible to preserve permanent teeth and gums completely, but it’s still possible to have a healthy smile. Seniors have more options than ever for a healthy smile.

DENTAL IMPLANTS Dental implants are an ideal solution for people with missing teeth, especially if they also want to halt bone loss. A screw is placed in the jaw to simulate a root and fuses with the jaw bone. Then, a custom-made crown fits over the top. It’s an effective solution for permanently restoring a smile.

CROWNS Crowns can also cover damaged or weakened teeth to provide support and preserve the root and remaining tooth. There are many options to choose from, depending on where the tooth is in the mouth.

DENTURES Dentures also replace missing teeth. They can be full dentures that replace all teeth or partial for a few missing teeth. Depending on the situation, seniors have various options for partial dentures to get the best fit.

GUM SURGERY Though our gums naturally recede with age, some people require surgical intervention. Flap surgery lifts the gums to clean out tartar and plaque and stitches them back in place. If the root is too damaged, bone grafting replaces damaged tissues with new bone.

REGULAR DENTAL CHECKS One of the best things you can do is see your dentist every six months. Professional teeth cleaning removes buildup that you can’t. More importantly, a check-up allows your dentist to identify problems so you can address them and prevent bigger issues.

Common Oral Health Problems in Elderly Adults

Aging puts us at greater risk for some common oral issues. Knowing what to look for and understanding the risk factors can

BY. DR. AVI

help you address potential issues earlier. The most common problems are dry mouth, gum problems, cavities, oral cancer, and tooth loss. The dental team can screen for issues and address concerns like dry mouth and cavities.

If you or a senior in your life needs a check-up and teeth cleaning, the team at Park Plaza Dental can help! Our center has a New Patient Promo for $79.00! You get a complete exam, x-rays, regular cleaning, polishing, teeth whitening, toothbrush, hygiene kit, toothpaste, floss, best in class care, and genuine kindness.

Dr. Avi grew up in New Jersey and earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania. He is involved in the “Give Kids a Smile” program. Dr. Avi worked with world-renowned clinicians for five years who provided him with handson training in all fields of dentistry. He advanced his skills in dental surgery and diagnosis, allowing him to run programs at the oral surgery departments of the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Avi has advanced skills in cosmetics, endodontics and implant dentistry. He is proud of his most recent accomplishment of completing the rigorous year-long course with the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.

Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 8 – Saturday, Dec. 10

WHERE: Ali Cultural Arts Center, 353 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.; Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA), 41 NE First St.; Pompano Beach Cultural Center, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd. — all in Pompano Beach COST: $30/ All-Access Festival Pass (3-Day Pass) includes access to all the events during the festival, including all the featured events such as Artist Talk with Tavia Osbey, County of Kings performance and more! $15/daily pass includes access to the events on the selected day you purchase the ticket.

WHAT: The Fifth Annual Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival is a three-day poetry festival that seeks to serve the community through educational, theatrical, and literary performances. The festival will nurture, support, and showcase regional, national, and international writers, facilitators, and artist from all over the country to honor the creative genius of our cultural arts pioneers. The festival includes writing workshops, artists’ talks, and the Slam Poetry competition.

In its fifth year, the Exit 36 objectives remain the same — paying homage to poetry, spoken word, literacy, community engagement, and celebrating the arts. The three-day event attracts the premier spoken word artists in the country.

Fruition - Tropical Botanical Art Exhibition

WHEN: Through Jan. 3, 2023

WHERE: Pompano Beach Cultural Center, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach COST: Free

WHAT: This exhibition of original botanical art focuses on the intriguing variety of fruits, nuts, and seeds produced by South Florida’s abundant native plant species. Plant subjects range from wildflowers and weeds to decorative shrubs and stately trees. The Fruition exhibition, developed in collaboration with Biscayne National Park, reflects the Tropical Botanic Artists’ support of the park’s mission to educate the public about the beauty and diversity of Florida’s native plants.

One Vision of Queen

Featuring Marc Martel

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 16 | 8pm

WHERE: Pompano Beach Amphitheater, 1806 NE Sixth St., Pompano Beach COST: $38 – $89

WHAT: Whether you are “just a poor boy from a poor family” or a “champion,” here is a chance to see a spectacular Queen tribute show right here in Pompano Beach.

Namaste Indian Art and Food Festival

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 3

WHERE: Pompano Beach Amphitheater, 1806 NE Sixth St., Pompano Beach COST: Free

WHAT: Get a glimpse into the rich 5,000-year-old Indian culture and heritage through curated Indian music and dance performances showcasing the breadth and

diversity of India. Watch up close demonstrations of art, dance, fashion, culture, food, musical instruments and music. Enjoy a dining experience from different states in India, the likes of which you have never seen and end it all by shopping at The Grand Bazaar. This is a family-friendly event.

CITY BEAT

BY MARIE PULEO

Lighthouse Point to Name New Community Center in Honor of John Trudel

The City of Lighthouse Point is honoring John Trudel, who served as the Parks and Recreation Director of Lighthouse Point for over 40 years, by naming the newly-constructed community center at Dan Witt Park as the “John Trudel Community Center.”

The City Commission, at its Oct. 25 meeting, passed a resolution to name the community center after Trudel, who became Lighthouse Point’s first paid full-time recreation director in 1974 and served until his retirement in 2015.

“It’s a great honor and I’m humbled by the thought of it being named after me,” said Trudel.

During his time as the city’s Parks and Recreation Director, Trudel touched at least three generations of families in Lighthouse Point, and served under nine of the city’s 10 past mayors.

Commissioner Michael Long said that naming the community center after Trudel is “a perfect fit to recognize someone who has done as much as he has for our city, for our kids, for our parents, and for our residents in general.”

Long said Trudel is “an outstanding individual” who is representative of the city’s beginnings and truly made a difference in shaping the city into what it is today.

Trudel played an integral role in overseeing renovations to the city’s sports fields, local playgrounds, and the tennis center,

as well as coordinating summer camp programs, youth athletics, concerts and other special events in the city’s parks.

He was also involved in starting the city’s annual Keeper Days celebration, Lighthouse A’Glow at Frank McDonough Park, and the Halloween party at Dan Witt Park, which he oversaw each year.

Trudel also oversaw the development of DeGroff Park and Exchange Club Park, both on the Intracoastal, and campaigned successfully to get lighting installed on the city’s athletic fields for evening games.

As a youth growing up in Lighthouse Point, Trudel became active in the city’s sports programs.

At 14, he began working as a junior camp counselor with the city.

Trudel graduated from Florida Atlantic University (FAU), earning a degree in Physical Education. He had planned on teaching at a local high school, but the opportunity to become Lighthouse Point’s recreation director arose right after graduating.

While attending FAU, Trudel worked part-time for the city’s Recreation Committee, which was headed by Dan Witt, whom Trudel considers his mentor.

When Trudel moved with his parents and three brothers to Lighthouse Point from New Hampshire in 1960, he first met Witt, their backyard neighbor. Trudel was eight years old; Witt was about 25 years his senior.

Witt oversaw all youth sports programs in Lighthouse Point at Frank McDonough Park, which at that time was known as Lake Placid Park and was the only park in the city. Trudel would go with Witt to the park to help him line the field before the games. When he was old enough, Trudel started playing tackle football for the Lighthouse Point Buccaneers, coached by Witt. Witt was considered the first recreation director of

John Trudel at the new community center named in his honor.

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Lighthouse Point Community Center

Lighthouse Point but served as a volunteer.

Trudel said having a community center named in his honor in a park named after Dan Witt has special meaning. In addition, the main scoreboard at the park is named for Tom Richow, who grew up in Lighthouse Point, and was one of Trudel’s closest friends. Richow was a Lighthouse Point detective sergeant and, outside of his police duties, helped Trudel with many recreation programs.

adopted by the City Commission in June, an interested party can request the naming of City-owned property. The approval of the request is contingent upon meeting certain criteria and following the procedures outlined in the policy.

As required, Choquette submitted a narrative, as well as a petition with 50 signatures from residents supporting the naming request. The city administrator reviewed the request and forwarded it to the City Commission. At the city commis-

“It’s an honor to have my name in the same vicinity as those two people,” said Trudel.

Trudel married his wife Debbie in 1975, and they raised their son and three daughters in Lighthouse Point. Trudel said Dan Witt Park is where his kids grew up because he would often bring them to work with him.

“A TREASURE TO THE CITY”

The initiative to name the new community center after Trudel was brought forward by Lighthouse Point resident Ron Choquette. Under a naming rights policy

sion meeting on Oct. 11, input from the public was given, and after discussion, the Commission decided to approve the request.

In his request letter, Choquette said Trudel “is a treasure to the City of Lighthouse Point” and “helped grow the wonderful youth sports programs that the residents still enjoy today.”

“He is a part of the city’s history, one of the many threads that bind our community together, having served it for so many years,” said Choquette.

Since his retirement, Trudel has remained active in the community,

still visiting city parks and volunteering his time to the department. He currently serves on the Cultural Arts Committee, which oversees Keeper Days Weekend, Lighthouse A’Glow, the annual easter egg hunt and Halloween party, concerts in the park and other events.

Trudel was named a Lighthouse Point Keeper in 2015.

NEW COMMUNITY CENTER — OPENING EXPECTED SOON

The new community center at Dan Witt Park hasn’t yet opened to the public. However, it received a temporary certificate of occupancy this summer, which allowed the Parks and Recreation Department to move into its new offices and hold summer camp there.

According to Parks and Recreation Director Becky Word, the community center is expected to get a full certificate of occupancy the week of Nov. 14. Kaufmann Lynn Construction – the construction manager of the city’s bond projects – has been addressing final items that need to be completed before project closeout.

Dan Witt Park and the community center are expected to be fully open in January, or possibly sooner. The new pickleball and basketball courts that are being installed just north of the community center need to be completed first. The courts are anticipated to be completed by the end of the year, said Word. New fencing will also be installed.

Trudel noted that Dan Witt Park turned 50 years old this year. The dedication ceremony was in April 1972.

“It’s nice to have Becky Word and her staff at the helm that will take us into the next 50 years,” he said. Y

The John Trudel Community Center at Dan Witt Park in Lighthouse Point

Meet Glenna Weber

Lighthouse Point’s New Recreation Coordinator

BY SUSAN ROSSER

Glenna Weber feels like she won the lottery. When the City of Lighthouse Point posted a job opening for a recreation coordinator, Glenna’s friends quickly told her to apply.

“I really believe this job was made for me. It’s everything I love. It brings wellness, light and happiness to my community,” Glenna is quick to add.

It’s easy to see why people in her world easily envisioned her working in the city’s recreation department. She’s affable, enthusiastic and loves her community.

Originally from the Catskills in Upstate New York, Glenna has lived in Lighthouse Point for about 20 years. She started her career as a fitness trainer at the Lighthouse Point Gym. Currently, she teaches fitness at the Lighthouse Yacht Club seven days a week.

Her children, Grace and Walker, went to Lighthouse Christian School, and are now in high school at Cardinal Gibbons. She is a proud member of the local Mom’s club. And while most moms eventually leave the club, Glenna has remained, saying, “I love the community of it. I always end up meeting new and wonderful people.”

THE PROGRAMS

New pickleball and basketball courts will be located directly outside the community center, and there are plans to offer a plethora of pickleball programming, including clinics, camps and lessons.

“We are very excited about pickleball. Not only for the sport

of it — anyone can play, but it is also open to all ages, and you don’t need an athletic background,” Glenna mentioned. “It’s just a very kind and welcoming sport.”

The community center has a sizeable lounge-style room for teens; plus, a large multipurpose room where the city’s recreation department will host classes and meetings. The room will be available for rental as well.

The recreation team is currently researching other programs such as yoga, meditation, arts and crafts, flower arranging, Mommy and Me, STEM and everything in between. They are also interviewing instructors for classes.

“The idea is to offer things to the community they may have never tried before. Or maybe they love and want more,” Glenna explained.

Cooking classes are also on the drawing board. The community

IT’S EASY

center does not have ovens, but does have a large kitchen with tons of counter space and a fridge. Glenna tossed out the idea of a bread-baking series — students could prepare the dough in class and simply take it home to bake.

The recreation team is open to new ideas and welcomes suggestions from the community.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

The community center has no membership fee, so people can drop in for classes anytime and try new things without a membership commitment. There will be two prices — for Lighthouse Point residents and non-residents.

Aside from learning new skills, Glenna’s genuine hope is strengthening the community. “The nice thing is that your neighbors will be here with you. So introduce yourself — get to know the people you are attending classes with and learn from each other,” she said. “It’s more than just the class. It’s the experience. You can walk or ride your bike here. You are building a family and a support system. I hope everyone goes out of their way to be kind, welcoming, supportive and neighborly — with a love-they-neighbor mentality.” Y

Scheduling, sign-ups and payments will all be available on red-desk through the city’s website. As of presstime, they are hoping to be open by mid-December If you have an idea for a class, visit lighthousepointfl. gov/176/Recreation and click the link for the form.

Glenna Weber photographed outside The John Trudel Community Center in Lighthouse Point

BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT THE PINK CHURCH

2331 NE 26th Ave. Pompano Beach, FL 33062 www.thepinkchurch.org

"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it" - Proverbs 22:6

Wise words from the Bible! Guess what, parents; you’re not alone in raising your kids to be their best selves. We at the Pink Church are your partners and cheerleaders!

Christmas season at the Pink Church is a great time to connect with us as a family As the new Pink Church Pastor, I’m thrilled to invite you to join us for festive, family-friendly activities like:

Lighthouse Point tradition that includes carol singing and hot cocoa.

“The Good Neuss According to Dr. Seuss”

Christmas tree lighting (6:00pm November 30th) – a Dr. Seuss themed sermon series each December Sunday –Christmas Eve worship (December 24th):

5:00pm Family Christmas Service 7:00pm Classic Christmas Service

God loves families, and so do we!

My family and I are excited to be part of the LHP/Pompano community We love activities that engage your kids and make you smile. That’s why the Pink Church hosts:

Wednesday youth group (6:00-8:00pm) – Middle and high school students Sunday morning kids church (10:00am) – Nursery through elementary age children

Thursday Mom’s Bible study (9:00am) – “Birds on a Wire… Don’t Mom Alone!”

Come celebrate Christmas and grow as a family with our family of faith at the Pink Church. We are committed to you because we believe in the wisdom of “starting children off on the way they should go!”

I look forward to greeting you in person at the Pink Church this Christmas season!

In the Grip of Grace!

Pastor Tim Roberts

PASTOR TIM ROBERTS & WIFE LISA

Mayor, Commission Establish Committee to Review Possible Changes to City’s Charter

BY MARIE PULEO

The City Commission, at its Nov. 8 meeting, unanimously approved a resolution that establishes a Charter Review Committee. The committee will review the current city charter over the course of months, and provide the City Commission recommendations for possible amendments to the charter, which may ultimately be placed on a ballot for either the March 2024 municipal election or the November 2024 general election.

Over the past several years, the City Commission has discussed the need to review certain items in the city charter, including whether the city should change its form of government from the existing “strong mayor” system to a city manager. In addition, the passing of Mayor Glenn Troast in March of this year had shown deficits in the way the charter is written. It did not provide a process for filling the mayor’s empty seat or the commission seat left vacant when Commissioner Kyle Van Buskirk transitioned to mayor.

At the Sept. 12 city commission meeting, there was consensus for Mayor Van Buskirk to establish the framework for a Charter Review Committee. In October, the City Commission reviewed the guidelines for creating the new committee, and decided to move forward with a resolution. Van Buskirk noted that the last organization of a Charter Review Committee was 20 years ago.

The newly formed Charter Review Committee consists of 10 members who are Lighthouse Point residents. Each of the five city commissioners nominated one qualified member, as follows: Craig Pugath (Commission President Jason Joffe), Abby Stafford (Commission Vice President Sandy Johnson), Tom Oates (Commissioner Michael Long), Margaret McGrath (Commissioner Everett Marshall III) and Matt Hinkle (Commissioner Patty Petrone).

The additional five members were appointed by the mayor, and include a former city commissioner (Earl Maucker), an attorney (Marc Wites), a former Charter Review Committee member (Lynn Spinella Pagans), a current city commissioner (Michael Long), and one city employee (Parks and Recreation Director Becky Word).

Former City Commissioner Earl Maucker was selected by the mayor to serve as the committee

chair. The committee is tentatively scheduled to meet on the third Wednesday of the month at 6pm, starting in January 2023. At their first meeting, committee members will elect a vice-chair and any other officers deemed necessary.

City administration will compile a list of topics to be addressed by the review committee, including issues brought up previously by the Commission. Each commissioner will also be able to add two or three more topics to the list.

After reviewing all eight articles of the city charter, the committee must submit any proposed amendments to the City Commission. The City Commission will have the sole discretion to determine which amendments, if any, it places on the ballot for Lighthouse Point voters, and the timing of such a referendum.

“This is no easy task,” said Van Buskirk. “It’s important to all of us that we put a lot of effort into it.”

Each committee member will serve for a term of one year from the date of the first Charter Review Committee meeting. The term may be extended for an additional six months at the discretion of the mayor.

The committee meetings will be open to the public, and there will be an opportunity for members of the community to provide input. The meetings will be held at Fletcher Hall in the City Hall complex, and virtually via Zoom. Y

Over the past several years, the City Commission has discussed the need to review certain items in the city charter, including whether the city should change its form of government from the existing “strong mayor” system to a city manager.

HAPPY SNAPS

Soroptimist Annual Fundraiser Havana Nights Pavilion Grille, Boca Raton

Rotary Club

Pompanista Fashion Show and Luncheon

Hillsboro Club, Hillsboro Beach

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRAVES

The event featured fashions from Body & Soul Boutique and Sondro in the Cove. Kelly and Michelle

Aret, Natashia, Denise, Kim and Cherelle

Jack Prenner (third from left), Cathy Prenner, second from right

The Florida Follies Models

Rotary Club President Pascale Roberts

Kimberly and Karen

Rotary Club Pompanista

Fashion Show and Luncheon Hillsboro Club, Hillsboro Beach

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRAVES

Pascale Roberts and Millie Walsh, owner of Body & Soul Boutique in Lighthouse Point Lynn, Barb, Anita and Linda

impressive at any age

Girls Night Out Dangerous Minds, Pompano Citi Centre

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRAVES

Leadership is Influence –How is Your Influence?

BY CRAIG HALEY

The author John Maxwell is famous for stating, “Leadership in a word is influence.”

He is saying that true leaders have followers, and those followers not only listen to what the leader says but also take action based on the leader’s directions.

There is an old story about two orators from antiquity. It was said that when the first orator finished speaking, everyone said, “What a great speech!” When the second orator finished, the people said, “Let’s march!”

Big difference! One leader motivated and entertained people with their words, while the other inspired his followers to take action.

Why can some leaders inspire others to take necessary action to move them closer to their goals, while others deliver lip service but do not get others to act?

As Jim Rohn says, “To have more, you must become more.” He means that if you want to become an influential leader that affects progress, growth, the truth: the person makes the title; the title does not make the person.

When you study history, you will see many examples of great leaders influencing others to action, and their coaching led to great results, victories, and successful turnarounds. Coach Phil Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls in the 90s when the Bulls won six championships. He also coached the Los Angeles Lakers and led them to five championships.

— Jim Rohn

and change in others, you must become the kind of person others want to follow.

Leadership is a privilege, not a right. Many people think a title or position will invoke others to listen to them and follow their lead. Others know

The most winning coach in sports history was Coach John Wooden. He led the UCLA Bruins basketball team to ten National Championships in twelve years. This is a feat that will likely never be tied or broken.

In the martial arts, Professor John Danaher is a sixth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He never competed in a single Jiu-Jitsu competition, yet he is undoubtedly the most successful BJJ coach in history. He has led the “Danaher Death Squad” to numerous regional, national, and world championships.

His top student, Gordon Ryan, says he would never have won the titles and awards if not for Professor Danaher’s coaching and mentorship.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

In the book “High Performance Habits,” author Brendon Burchard breaks down the top strategies that the best leaders use to affect progress, growth, and change in the people they lead.

Strategy #1: Teach People How to Think

In every leadership situation, prepare yourself by asking how you want others to think. How do you want them to think about themselves? How do you want them to think about other people? How do you want them to think about the world at large?

Then the best leaders go and communicate that message consistently. They shape people’s thinking by saying things like:

Think of it this way…

What do you think about…?

What would happen if we tried…?

In selling, they say telling is not selling. Asking questions is selling. By asking questions and leading people down a path to shape their thinking, they open their minds to a new point of view. This leads them to think in a new way, a better way that will lead them to the achievement of their goals, objectives, and dreams!

Strategy #2: Challenge People to Grow

Leaders are observant. They see other people’s character, connections, and contributions and actively challenge them to develop those things in the future. Great leaders ask questions like, did you give it your all or could you treat the people around you better?

Simply saying, “I am going to challenge you to…” can make a huge difference. One of my mentors, best-selling author Jeffrey Gitomer, uses that exact phrase on virtually every coaching call I have with him, and I can tell you it works!

Strategy #3: Role Model the Way

Some leaders say things like, “You should do…”. The best leaders say, “Let’s go do…”. The best leaders lead from the front, not from the back. They are leading by example. In the martial arts industry, the best instructors are not only teaching classes, but they are training and learning themselves every day. They are in great shape, have excellent habits, and their example will influence their staff and students.

The most successful parents role model the way for their kids. They know that kids learn more from what they see than what you tell them.

If you are a parent, leader, entrepreneur, business owner, manager, or coach, you are a leader. Being a leader is a wonderful privilege if you do it correctly. Follow the advice of those who have paved the way for us, and the road to great results and success will be much smoother.

Revocable Living Trusts

Important for Out of State Property

BY MARTIN ZEVIN, ATTORNEY

Are you a snowbird just returning to Florida for the winter? Some of my clients have their homestead in Florida; others declare their legal residence in another state.

In either case, a revocable living trust is very useful to avoid probate in both states. If you are a Florida resident, you can own your homestead property via a revocable living trust without losing your homestead exemption. In addition, you are eliminating the need for probate when you pass away. You can also transfer real

assets payable to your etsate. For example, if you were killed in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver, your personal representative would be able to settle your estate’s claim and “pourover” the proceeds into your trust.

If you are not a Florida resident, you can still create a revocable living trust and execute a quit claim deed to put your Florida property into the trust. Your last will and testament will be done by a lawyer in the state in which you have your legal residence. In addition, that lawyer can prepare a Deed to transfer the out-of-state property into the Florida Trust. You can also do the trust in your state of residence and have a Florida lawyer transfer your Florida property to that trust. `

For Canadian citizens, there are possible tax aspects to be considered before you create a Florida Trust. These should be discussed with your Canadian accountant or tax attorney. In general, you will have to weigh the tax consequences versus the money and time your heirs would save by avoiding probate in Florida.

Another favorable factor in creating a Revocable living trust is that you can always amend the trust without having to change the Deed. In addition, once you create the trust, you can always buy new properties in any state in the name of the trust.

estate owned in any other state to your Florida trust. Generally, a Florida lawyer will prepare the revocable living trust and Quit Claim Deed to transfer the Florida property into the trust. If you are a Florida resident, the lawyer will also prepare a new Florida last will and testament called a pourover will. This provides for the transfer to your trust upon your death of any other assets not in the trust or which do not have beneficiaries already designated. It is a security blanket to cover any

The Revocableliving trust is recommended by most lawyers over a Deed which includes names of other persons, either as joint tenants, tenants in common or a life estate deed. Once another person’s name is on a deed, there are potential risks to you and your property. These include the possibility that the other person may undergo a divorce, bankruptcy, have a judgment against them, or die before you or with you in a common accident. It may also affect your homestead exemption. All of these risks should be discussed with your attorney before deciding to put someone else’s name on your deed. By contrast, the revocable living trust eliminates those risks, since no other name is on the deed. You simply transfer it from yourself to yourself as trustee of your trust. Y

Martin Zevin is available to discuss wills, trusts, estates, probate and is available for free consultation regarding personal injury claims or car insurance coverage. For more information call 954-569-4878 or visit martinzevinpa.com.

Charlotte Burrie Center

Charlotte Burrie Center

Amplify Wellness Market

Old Guys Rule Comedy Show

1st Sunday of each month, 9am-2pm, FREE yoga class at 9am, vendors & more

“A comedy tribute to Baby Boomers”

Old Guys Rule Comedy Show

“A comedy tribute to Baby Boomers” Tues December 7, 7:00pm

Tues December 7, 7:00pm

Tickets are FREE and must be obtained on Eventbrite.com

Karate classes, kids ages 6-17 & adults, Tues & urs 6:30p (kids), 7:30p (adults) $50 per month

Tickets are FREE and must be obtained on Eventbrite.com

Senior Health Fair

Line Dance classes

Tues December 14, 10:00am-2:00pm

Fridays 2:30pm $8

Senior Health Fair

Tues December 14, 10:00am-2:00pm

Yoga Wednesdays 6:00pm $15

Chi Kung Wednesdays 7:30pm $15

Bunco Wednesdays 1:00pm $5 Zumba classes Mondays, 7:00pm, $10

Fantastic Fall and Winter Fishing

BY JOHN PIOTROWSKI

The coming fall and winter cold fronts bring an exciting array of fish migrations to our shores. How lucky are we to have the largest fish highway on this side of the planet, only a few miles off our coast? The gulf stream brings warm water north along with an ecosystem that supports migrating pelagics. This season has been particularly exciting because we have likely seen the best swordfishing many of us can remember in years.

Big Dog Tackle hosted a swordfish tournament out of the Sands Marina in October, where 29 boats competed. Well over half of the boats caught swordfish, and many of those caught multiple fish in the one-day tournament. There were over 40 hookups during this tournament. RJ Boyle’s crew aboard the Lisa B out of Lighthouse Point has been posting fantastic fish almost every week.

The other phenomenon we have seen is the migration of large yellowfin and bluefin tuna near our shores. In almost 20 years of fishing along our coast and through the Florida Keys, I can not remember seeing and hearing about so many big tuna. Don’t be surprised when your live gog hanging from the kite gets swallowed by a huge tuna while you are fishing off our reefs. They are here! How exciting is it to go fishing for sailfish and to know that you might hook a giant yellowfin or bluefin tuna at any minute?

Remember to obtain the migratory species licenses for your boat and any other special permits or licenses you may need to harvest a big tuna, pelagic sportfish or billfish. The last thing you want to do is catch a fish of a lifetime and post it on social media only to get fined. That happens.

The bottom fishing becomes outstanding in the fall and winter. Snapper and grouper are regularly caught on the reefs from 60’ –200’. We have an excellent vermillion snapper fishery. Vermillion are excellent table fare and commonly 1 to 3 pounds. These snapper school on several of our local wrecks in 150 – 250’ of water and can be caught with squid on chicken rigs using spinning gear. It can make for a fun family day of fishing.

One of the most exciting things about winter is that it is wahoo season. If you can make it to Bimini in November, December and January, it’s a beautiful time to snake up and down the Bahamian shelf from the Gingerbreads down to Orange Cay. High-speed trolling has been the ticket, but on slow days don’t hesitate to slow down and pull a planer and strip bait for constant action. Wahoos are also caught more often this time of year along our coast. Early mornings and late afternoons are great for pulling planners and

specially designed wahoo lures. You don’t have to go too fast, which certainly saves fuel. Cross over our reefs from 100’ – 300’, pulling strip baits behind different size planers and a few surface baits. Put on the Christmas music, sip your favorite beverage and wait for the reels to scream.

For those of you still clinging to your competitive nature following football season – don’t fear — possibly the most competitive sporting events in fishing kick off this time of year — tournament sail fishing. In just a few weeks, the Yamaha / Contender Miami Billfish Tournament of Champions will kick off the season with the best of the best from last year’s Jimmy Johnson “Quest for the Ring” Sailfish Championship.

A host of other sailfish tournaments and sailfish tournament series are about to kick off. Bluewater Movements has the Quest for the Crest. This is a competitive series of three tournaments starting in January that consistently hosts the best of the best. If you are looking for excitement and competition in fishing, look no further than the competitive tournament sail fishing right here in our backyard.

John Piotrowski is president of the Lighthouse Point Saltwater Sportsman’s Association. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact the Lighthouse Point Saltwater Sportsman’s Association at LHPSSA.org.

When Is an Advisor an Elite Wealth Manager?

BY GREG EDWARDS

M

any financial professionals call themselves wealth managers these days. In some cases, this descriptor is right on the mark—it describes them accurately. For others, the use of the term is essentially a marketing strategy. It’s up to you to decide whether a financial professional you are considering working with is a genuine wealth manager. So how can you do your due diligence? Start by understanding what constitutes true wealth management. There are two overarching components to wealth management: investment management and advanced planning.• Asset protection planning entails employing legally accepted concepts and strategies to ensure that wealth is not unjustly taken.

• Charitable tax planning enables tax-efficient philanthropy.

• Life management planning addresses an array of concerns, such as how to best structure wealth to deal with the concerns of longevity. Advisors who deliver these two components to clients can reasonably be called wealth managers.

1. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT. This is a very broad category that often (but not in every case) covers areas like individual equities and debt instruments, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, and various types of alternative investments (hedge funds, private equity and the like). Investment management might even include cryptocurrencies, hard assets (precious metals) and “passion investments” such as artwork. What is important to recognize when it comes to wealth management is that any legitimate investment is a possible option. It just has to be appropriate for the investor. Investment management is also about structuring an investment portfolio with the goal of achieving certain results or producing desired future sums of money. Hence, investment portfolio design is certainly as important as specific investment assets.

2. ADVANCED PLANNING. For some people, advanced planning is as consequential as investment management—maybe even more so. It can potentially deliver more predictable outcomes as well as results that are extremely meaningful from a wealth perspective. The following are some commonly seen specialties within advanced planning:

• Income tax planning focuses on legally mitigating taxes on money earned by working.

• Estate planning involves using legal strategies and financial products to determine the future disposition of current and projected assets.

• Business succession planning principally deals with tax-efficiently transitioning businesses to others, whether they are family or not.

ELITE TRAITS

So once you know you’re looking at a wealth manager, how do you determine whether he or she is elite? Elite wealth managers are not only technically adept but also intently focused on understanding the self-interests and needs of their clients.

Elite wealth managers are very skilled at determining the self-interests of their clients. By learning about their clients at such a deep level, elite wealth managers can create a level of security and comfort that becomes the foundation of a mutually rewarding relationship.

For some professionals, the human dynamic is secondary to legal and financial experience, and sometimes the human element gets addressed in a very superficial way. To get results, an elite wealth manager must be acutely attuned to both the emotional side and the rational side of each client’s world—the logical and illogical. This includes not only the client per se, but also other people—especially people the client cares about—and even institutions such as charities.

The upshot: An elite wealth manager’s focus is the client and the people, institutions, and goals that the client sincerely cares about—the human element. And it’s this willingness and ability to know the client deeply, and then offer solutions that reflect that deep knowledge, that separate the elite from the rest of the pack.

Please call Greg and his team at 561-361-8140 ext 227 to find out if you are working with an elite wealth manager.

The information above has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but no representation is made as to its completeness, accuracy or timeliness. All information and opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. Information provided in this report is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, investment, legal or tax advice; and does not constitute an offer, or a solicitation of any offer, to buy or sell any security, investment or other product. Representatives offer products and services using the following business names: Lawless, Edwards & Warren (LEW)-insurance and financial services | Ameritas Investment Company, LLC (AIC), Member FINRA/SIPC - securities and investments | Ameritas Advisory Services (AAS) - investment advisory services. AIC and AAS are not affiliated with LEW.

Predictions for 2023

BY JAMES TERLIZZI

As is customary, I offer my credentials as a prognosticator: I am a graduate of FSU (Florida Seer University), where I earned a B.S. in B.S. In a previous life, I was an assistant to the Oracle at Delphi, and I possess a genuine Swarovski-Romanian-Gypsy crystal ball previ ously owned by a little old lady who only used it on Sundays. It is the top-of-theline model from Clairvoyants-R-Us.

The following are subject to a three percent margin of error:

On January 8, a UFO will land in Tupelo, Mississippi. An extraterrestrial will emerge dressed as an Elvis impersonator.

Earth’s magnetic poles will flip. We in Florida then will be living in the north.

Dandruff will become the number one killer in the U.S.

A koala will be found in the state of Washington. It will be known as the “Walla Walla Koala.”

Giving someone a “wedgie” will become a felony.

A new sport will be the rage all over the country. It will be called “Cucumberball.” The National Pickleball Association will file suit for infringement, claiming that the cucumber is nothing more than a pre-pickle.

New York City will finally rescind the law that makes it illegal to open an umbrella in the presence of a horse.

An inventor will create a light bulb that never burns out. It will cost fifty cents. Unfortunately, it will provide only three watts of light.

Elon Musk will introduce a car that runs on beer. The European

version will only run on Heineken. Brewery stocks will skyrocket. The Powerball jackpot will go to $37,000,000,000. The cousin of the Dalai Lama will win the jackpot and graciously donate it to pay off our national debt.

Nutritionists will add chocolate to the list of essential food groups.

The crime rate will drop significantly after the federal government announces it will provide all of the broccoli you can eat for free.

A new James Bond movie will feature Agent 0007. The triple-zero designation means not only will he have a license to kill, he will have a license to pass wind in an elevator.

Scientists will find a way to bring back the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs then will find a way to eat the scientists.

A new mosquito repellant will prove to be 100 percent effective. Unfortunately, it will turn your skin green. This will make you more attractive to iguanas.

Researchers will determine that there are more than two-million bubbles in a half-pint of beer—twice as many as in champagne. Global production of beer will reach 53-billion gallons, which will equal 636,000,000,000,000,000 bubbles. This will become the Guinness Book world record. Now, aren’t you glad that you read this column?

Come December, we will have done such a good job with global warming there will be polar bears in Pennsylvania.

Finally, there will be a world-wide shortage of fly swatters.

You’ve been warned. Y

Making Magic

BY MICHELLE HAYS

Remember when you were a kid and couldn’t wait for the holidays? As for me, I remember being so excited Christmas was coming that I couldn’t sleep! I always hoped to catch Santa in the act, trying to stay awake and listening intently for his reindeer landing on the roof!

What happened to the childlike wonder many of us experienced when we were kids? What happens as we become adults? Why do we become less playful and somehow forget what it was like to experience true joy, wonder, and love in our dayto-day lives?

The good news is that you can rekindle some of those magical feelings! It all starts with your mindset. Your reality becomes what you choose to allow your mind to think predominantly. Maybe you are contemplating finding the “perfect” gift this year. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed while thinking about all the shopping you must accomplish for the upcoming holidays. I get it. We all have moments when we imagine those long lines, the hustle and bustle of the season, and wrapping until the wee hours of the morning. It can certainly all seem daunting.

This year it’s going to be different! Embrace the season with open arms! You can CHOOSE to focus on the wonder and love of the season by focusing on the good things in your life, like how fortunate you are that you have the opportunity to give gifts to the people you love!

I encourage you to remember that the essential aspect of any present you want to give someone is the thoughtfulness behind the gift. Thoughtfulness doesn’t have to be expensive. Thoughtfulness is a magical gift in itself and can have the most impact. Most of us have experienced receiving a gift that took very little thought. One time, I received a wool scarf as a gift, and it’s not that I have anything against a beautiful wool scarf. It’s just that I happen to live in South Florida, and there isn’t much use for a wool scarf.

On the other hand, can you remember how it feels to receive a gift you love because it was so thoughtful? When I think of

thoughtful presents I have received, one, in particular, comes to mind because it was filled with so much love and thought. It was back when I was living in New York. A man I was dating took me to a gorgeous winery on Long Island. It was in the fall, and the winery had a magnificent arrangement made with beautiful tree branches and adorned with candles hanging from them. I mentioned how beautiful and clever I thought it was, and we continued our wine tasting. On Christmas that year, I was astonished when he gave me a replica of the beautiful branch arrangement with candles hanging from them! The candles were all lit, and tears rolled down my cheeks. On one of the branches was a little scroll tied with a red ribbon, and it said, “I remember seeing your face light up when you saw this at the winery. I made this for you myself. Merry Christmas! With all my love, BP.” It was magical and undoubtedly memorable.

When you are out shopping this year, be thoughtful. Not only will you delight the people you love, but you will also feel excited to give. We have all heard the saying, “It is better to give than receive.” That saying certainly rings true when we give of ourselves: our time, love, and thoughtfulness. So keep in mind that it is not the gift that matters. It is the thoughtfulness and intention behind the gift that touches our hearts.

May your holidays be filled with magical moments and lots of love. Y

The Show Stopper

Buche de Noel

Impress your dinner guests this holiday season with a homemade buche de noel. Of course, you may need to have the remainder of the dinner catered, as this recipe is not for the faint of heart. In fact, if you actually pull it off, it could be considered a Christmas miracle — or whatever holiday you celebrate.

BY MRS. KOSSENFLOFFER

CREATIVELY COOKING

I love to bake, but a buche de noel seemed outrageously ambitious. I envisioned a kitchen disaster story featuring failed attempts with crumbling cakes and separated cream. And truth be told, if chocolate wasn’t involved, I would have lost my nerve. Here is my story.

A buche de noel includes three recipes: one for the cake, one for the cream filling, and another for the frosting. This means you will utilize nearly every bowl in your kitchen, including the ones buried deep within your cabinets. Seriously, engage some elves to help with the cleanup.

Apparently, it is easier to roll up a cake while it is still warm and in a somewhat submissive state. But, you can’t put cream filling on hot cake. So all buche de noel recipes call for rolling the cake while it is warm and letting it cool in that rolled-up position. I won’t lie. This part frightened me. I felt like a first-year surgical resident about to perform a triple bypass on an unsuspecting patient — with no senior surgeon nearby to walk me through it.

And while I love to bake, I prefer recipes that require little to no decoration. And yet, I found myself baking a cake to resemble a fallen in log in a Bavarian forest. I suppose I was motivated by the chocolate and mascarpone.

I primarily followed the recipe I found on Kingarthurbaking.com (with just a slight variation on the cream filling and the addition of a bit of cherry jam.)

This recipe was definitely out of my baking comfort zone, but I know some readers will love making this as a family project on a rainy day during the holiday break or maybe a hostess gift. I was so wary of overcooking the cake (which would make rolling nearly impossible) that I undercooked it just a touch. Still, the frosting and the filling were so scrumptious that even a semi-failed cake couldn’t ruin this show-stopper.

Holiday Gifts for Wine Lovers

BY DAVID EHRENFRIED

Thinking about giving someone you know who likes wine a gift they’ll enjoy? There are more options than you might realize. Plus, they don’t have to cost a lot, although it’s certainly possible to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on just wine or things like wine refrigerators and crystal glassware. Most of my suggestions range from around $15 to about $500.

Some Wine Gift Suggestions

The most obvious wine gift idea is wine. So, let’s start there. Giving good wine to someone who enjoys wine is a safe bet. (Figure to spend $20 and up per bottle.) The wine could be something you know the person prefers, particularly for special occasions. It could be a wine that evokes or celebrates a fond memory or moment. It also could be a specific wine type, style, winemaker, or vintage the person would probably like but wouldn’t ordinarily buy because of cost or limited availability. Some examples include pricey cabernet sauvignon from California’s Napa Valley, premier cru red or white

auslese or beerenauslese from Germany, and Portuguese vintage Port or tawny Port are all great choices. Fine, aged Tawny Port that’s aged 10 years or more is delicious, and its golden-brown color and silky viscosity are beautifully appetizing in any clear glass. 20-year and older Tawny Ports start around $40.

Pinot noir and chardonnay from smaller or craft producers in California’s Sonoma County or Oregon’s Willamette Valley also make great gifts, as does chianti classico riserva from Italy. Chianti and other Tuscan wines made from sangiovese grapes have enjoyed a string of superb vintages since 2015. Another wine to consider is Spanish rioja riserva, a flavorful medium-bodied red wine made with tempranillo grapes that pairs nicely with well-seasoned meat and poultry dishes. Rioja riserva wines are aged for three years or more in oak barrels and bottles before being released and are often a great value.

Still not sure what wine to give? French Champagne or another premium sparkling wine is a great gift. Sparkling wine is festive, fun, and delicious and can be enjoyed with most foods or without any food at all. Non-vintage Champagne generally costs between $35 and $100 a bottle, but the choicest brands, like Krug, Dom Perignon, or select vintage Champagnes cost more. There are also many alternatives to Champagne, such as crémant from France, sparkling wine from California and Franciacorta from northwestern Italy.

If you know your recipient’s American wine preferences, consider buying six or 12 bottles directly from a favorite or notable vineyard winery. Visit the winery’s website, which usually lists the available wines, prices, and shipping details. And many wineries provide quantity discounts.

If you’re considering giving someone Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir from California or Oregon, 2018 and 2019 are terrific vintages. 2018 and 2019 also are excellent vintages for red Bordeaux and Burgundy wines. All recent vintages, except 2014, are excellent for Italy’s Tuscany and Piedmont regions. For recent Rioja wines, look for 2015, 2016, and 2019.

Non-Wine Gifts for Wine Lovers

There are many gift alternatives to wine: books and magazines, classes, subscription wine clubs, and wine paraphernalia. For the person with everything, there are even Champagne sabers for chopping off the glass tops of champagne bottles rather than popping their corks. You can also purchase

French Burgundy, a leading red French Bordeaux, or a top super Tuscan, brunello di montalcino, barolo, or barbaresco from Italy. Another special gift is a luscious dessert or after-dinner wine. Sauternes or barsac from France, tokaji aszú from Hungary, riesling

wine-themed tee-shirts (one I liked read, “I pair well with wine”). Anyway, wine gifts are available at wine, cooking and housewares stores and many websites. Several websites with wide selections of wine-related items are IWA, Wine Enthusiast, Mark & Graham, Wine.com, WilliamsSonoma, and Uncommongoods.

WINE GLASSWARE: Most still wines — red, white, or rose — are more enjoyable when sipped from glasses that make them visually appealing and have a shape wide, high, and angled enough to swirl without spilling. Swirling helps wine aerate, helping to accentuate aromas and flavors. Generally, glasses with larger bowls are more suitable for red wine, although many white wines benefit from being served in such glasses. For sparkling wine, select tall, narrow flute-shaped glasses. For dessert and apertif wines, a set of shorter, smaller-bowled glasses makes an excellent gift.

Wine glasses with or without stems are a matter of personal preference. Either way, wine’s visual qualities are best served in clear, colorless glasses made of quality glass or crystal. If you’re prepared to spend more than $50 for a pair of wine glasses, Riedel and Zalto are two prestigious global brands. Schott-Zweisel and Spiegelgau make excellent wine glasses for less than that. Libby is a reliable budget brand.

WINE DECANTERS: Elegant decanters make wine look appealing while helping it aerate quickly. Some are simply shaped, and some have wide, flat bottoms with narrow necks or exotic curvy shapes. Again, clear, uncolored glass or crystal shows wine best. Anticipate spending over $40. To really show your thoughtfulness, throw in a long, flexible bottlebrush.

CORKSCREWS: The least expensive is the familiar waiter’s corkscrew. This simple device has a helix-shaped steel “worm” that snakes into the cork. The Screwpull corkscrew is another marvelous invention. It uses a very long, coated worm that goes through corks easily and raises most of them smoothly as you turn. More popular now and practically effortless are battery devices using the same principle. A top brand is Rabbit, although there are many other brands.

AERATORS: Pouring wine through an aerator exposes wine to more air than when poured straight from its bottle. There are many different kinds and brands, generally selling between $15 and $50. An alternative to decanting or opening a bottle to “breathe” before drinking, aerators can help bring out flavors sooner.

PRESERVERS: Long-term wine preservation is the holy grail for wine lovers who want only a glass or two of a special or pricey bottle of wine and hope to enjoy the rest days, weeks, months, or years later. The simplest but least effective preservers are inexpensive slit-top rubber stoppers made by VacuVin and others that come with a hand-held pump for sucking air out of opened wine bottles.

A more effective method is spraying pressurized, inert, climate-friendly gases, like argon, into the opened bottle during re-corking. The gas displaces air above the remaining wine. I’ve used Private Select Wine Preserver, which comes in feather-light aerosol-sized canisters filled with an FDA-approved mixture of gases. It sells online and in some wine stores for about $10 a can.

The most effective devices can remove modest amounts of wine from uncorked bottles and simultaneously replace the space left

with safe gases that help preserve the remaining wine for weeks or months. Coravin is the most popular. Its original table-top devices sell for $200-400. But Coravin now offers less expensive devices. Coravin’s technology inserts a hypodermic-like needle through wine corks to extract wine and inject preserving gas, all without removing the cork. Other preservers, like WineKeeper, will enable the fortunate recipient to dispense and preserve multiple bottles of wine, providing an ever-ready choice of wines for you and your guests. Multi-bottle dispensers/preservers, like those in fancy wine bars, can easily cost $2,000 or more.

TOTES, CARRIERS, AND LUGGAGE: Basic wine totes are tall open-topped bags made of cloth, leather, or synthetic materials that hold one or two 750 ml wine bottles. Fancier carriers close and may have insulated compartments. There are also larger bags, even outing-ready backpacks with glasses, corkscrews, and other paraphernalia, along with room for a bottle or two and even food. And, yes, for serious, wine-loving travelers, you can buy luggage with specially made inserts for holding up to 12 wine bottles. They cost between $75 and $400.

BOOKS, MAGAZINES, CLASSES AND TASTINGS: When it comes to books, among my favorites are several by Jancis Robinson, arguably the best of all living wine writers. The shortest is her 112page 24-Hour Wine Expert. Others include the classic How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying wine, the encyclopedic Oxford Companion to Wine, and the beautiful World Atlas of Wine (co-authored with Hugh Johnson). Hugh Johnson also writes the annually updated Wine Pocket Book. Other great titles include, Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack’s award-winning and easy-to-use Wine Folly: The Master Guide and Karen McNeil’s The Wine Bible.

I recommend two wine course books. A classic is Kevin Zraly’s regularly updated Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. Much newer is Marnie Old’s very differently organized Wine: A Tasting Course.

There are numerous online classes, some of which may lead to certifications and prices range from $90 to $500. Napa Valley Wine Academy is among the most popular. Master Class features talks by wine critic James Suckling. Other popular wine classes are available from Udemy.com, The Great Courses, and the Wine School of Philadelphia.

Finally, a wine magazine subscription is a great way to get the latest information about wine, including ratings and articles about wine regions, winemakers and wine-related travel. The leader is Wine Spectator followed by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Wine Club Subscriptions: A wine club subscriptions typically send curated selections of wines at regular intervals for set amounts that vary depending on the type and amount of wine sent. They can be a wonderful gift for people who enjoy and want to learn more about wine and won’t mind having other people, hopefully very knowledgeable people, pick wines for them.

There are dozens of wine club options, Good wine clubs generally give members choices in the number, kinds, and price points of the wines they’ll get. Some clubs also provide flexibility in shipment frequency. Monthly membership costs range widely. .

Have fun shopping and let us know what wine gifts you gave or got. Happy Holidays! Y

A BRIGHTER FUTURE DURING A HOLIDAY SEASON OF GIVING

As we enter the holiday season of giving, we are excited to share this look at Community Foundation of Broward. It details how we make life better in Broward, including Pompano Beach, Hillsboro Beach, Lighthouse Point and Deerfield Beach.

Turn the page to learn about several samples of our IMPACT IN ACTION and how we partner with dedicated philanthropists to bring a brighter future to Broward. You’ll read about the different charitable funds that can help you maximize the impact of your giving.

You’ll also learn about the valuable services and philanthropic expertise we provide OUR FUNDHOLDERS to amplify their giving. Finally, you’ll see how you can use your estate plan to change lives and create a brighter future for our entire community.

We will show you the POWER OF ENDOWMENT and how you, too, can BE BOLD and establish a charitable fund in partnership with Community Foundation of Broward. We also encourage inquiries from individuals, families and corporations with private foundations to consider leveraging the Community Foundation’s knowledge of local issues and grantmaking expertise to grow your impact.

Happy holidays to you and yours from everyone at Community Foundation of Broward.

Zimmerman, Board Chair Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, Ph.D., President/CEO

Kurt

IMPACT IN ACTION

The Community Foundation’s BOLD leadership and grantmaking forge dynamic community collaborations and support innovative opportunities to tackle big challenges. Here are a few examples of how we partner with dedicated philanthropists to shape a brighter future for Broward:

$13.4M in fiscal year 2022 grants

CANCER-FIGHTING SUPPORT

Nearly $1 million over three years from our new cancer research grants will help cancer patients get better access to groundbreaking clinical trials, close to home, through Broward Health, Florida International University and the Memorial Cancer Institute.

NEW NONPROFIT CENTER

The Community Foundation’s newly created Broward Center for Nonprofit Excellence, led by Director Cathy Brown, will serve as a go-to resource for training, grants and other tools to nurture and strengthen the nonprofits that play such a critical role in the lives of Broward residents.

STRENGTHENING SENIORS’ SAFETY NET

Outreach and activities to break through senior isolation are getting a boost thanks to $500,000+ in new “Dignity in Aging” grants from the Community Foundation’s collaboration with United Way of Broward County and The Frederick A. Deluca Foundation.

‘ECO HUB’ SUPPORTS ENVIRONMENT

The Community Foundation committed more than $600,000 to champion environmental efforts, including creating the new Broward Eco Hub for Resiliency Education, anchored at the Museum of Discovery and Science, to raise awareness about climate change preparedness.

$2M MARY PORTER GRANTS

Two $1 million grants, made possible by the Mary N. Porter Legacy Fund, are expanding local mental health facilities at Henderson Behavioral Health’s new crisis stabilization center and supporting the completion of the new L.A. Lee YMCA / Mizell Community Center.

NATURAL DISASTER AID

From another devastating earthquake in Haiti to tornadoes ravaging eight states, including hard-hit Kentucky, the Community Foundation connected our Fundholders to trustworthy opportunities to help those who needed it most.

‘HELP THE HELPERS’

More than 7,500 nonprofit workers leading pandemic response received gift cards, meals and more through our collaboration with United Way, the Children’s Services Council, The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, Health Foundation of South Florida and The Jim Moran Foundation.

FIRST RESPONDERS SUPPORT

A new scholarship fund, created by the Broward County Firefighters Benevolent Fund, will fuel new careers for aspiring firefighters, nurses, and other first responders.

HELP FOR UKRAINE

In response to the heartbreaking crisis in Ukraine, our Fundholders stepped up with more than $100,000 in donations to support people in need through aid opportunities vetted by the Community Foundation.

SUPPORT FOR ANIMALS

Our two-year, $315,000+ commitment for Animal Welfare grants boosts pet adoptions, provides free food and veterinarian care, supports wildlife rescue and much more.

“Giving back has always been one of our family’s core values. The Community Foundation team comes to us with expertly selected opportunities to make a difference on issues we care about. They also measure the impact created by our support, making sure our philanthropy is truly effective.”

Steve Hudson, Hudson Family Foundation, Community Builder and former Community Foundation Board Chair

“I love how they make it easy to involve my children and grow our family’s philanthropy.”

Doria Camaraza, Fundholder, Board Member

OUR FUNDHOLDERS

We partner with generous individuals, families and local organizations to create personalized charitable funds that fuel game-changing philanthropy.

A Community Foundation “Fundholder” is so much more than a donor. Fundholders are part of a movement of visionaries who step up to ensure that their community has the resources it needs – today and forever.

With the Community Foundation as a philanthropy partner, our Fundholders maximize the impact of their charitable giving. Together, we create a legacy of BOLD community impact that makes life better in Broward.

Benefits of partnering with the Foundation

Expert guidance to identify the best opportunities to accomplish your charitable goals

Personalized charitable funds to fuel support, in your name or anonymously, for your charitable priorities

Accountability to ensure your charitable support is used as intended

Opportunities to amplify your impact by pooling resources with like-minded philanthropists

Peace of mind – we are a trusted fiduciary with a more than 30-year track record of investment and grantmaking success

The power of endowment to ensure your legacy of community support continues forever

Far left: Fundholders Collette and Gene Herman created a Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation, which provides grants to fight cancer and help children in need. Left: Fundholder Heidi Schaeffer (right) attends the Community Foundation’s Community Builder Celebration with her son, Baron.

charitable funds

Create a Charitable Fund

Unrestricted Fund – You support our community’s most pressing needs, today and in the future.

Field of Interest Fund – You support a particular issue or cause that you care about.

Donor-Advised Fund – You support a variety of causes and charitable organizations. You play a more active role by recommending grants.

Designated Fund – You support a specific charitable organization, forever.

Scholarship Fund – You support educational and vocational opportunities to help students achieve their full potential.

Agency Endowment Fund – Nonprofit organizations can lock in a guaranteed source of support, forever, by partnering with the Community Foundation.

Make a Legacy Gift

Create an impact that will last for generations by including a gift to the Community Foundation in your estate plan, which will establish a legacy through an endowed charitable fund to tackle the things you care about most – in perpetuity.

Join more than 160 members of the Community Foundation’s Legacy Society. These generous, forward-thinking, Broward residents have included the Foundation in their estate plans, promising more than $360 million to ensure their BOLD impact lasts forever.

Right: Fundholder Andrew Wurtele, one of 52 Community Foundation “Community Builders,” and his daughter Serena (right) get an up-close look at a canine assisted therapy dog. Far right: Fundholder Edward Hashek, a former Board Member, and Fundholder G. Wright Muir attend a reception celebrating the Community Foundation’s collaboration with Our Fund Foundation.

“We don’t have children, so when we were doing our estate planning, our lawyer introduced us to the Community Foundation. The Community Foundation is such a great way for our estate to continue to make a difference, even after we are gone.”

Joy and Kyle Branyon, new Legacy Society Members

POWER OF ENDOWMENT

Through the power of endowment, your charitable gift today creates a BOLD impact that lasts forever.

When you partner with the Community Foundation to establish an endowed charitable fund, your gift is carefully invested over time. Earnings from your gift add to your fund and produce Community Foundation grants that tackle your charitable priorities.

As we shepherd and grow your endowed fund, the earnings from your initial gift become a permanent source of community support. For generations to come, your endowed fund will be a sustainable resource that makes Broward a better place to call home.

HOW AN ENDOWED GIFT OF $100,000 CAN GROW

*

In one year, your fund balance is $100,500 and produces $5,000 in grants.

(*Assumes a 5% annual granting payout, 1.5% administration fees and a net 7% investment rate of return.)

In 15 years, your fund balance is $107,768 and has produced more than $77,600 in grants.

93%

of the value of our charitable funds is endowed

In 50 years, your fund balance reaches $128,323, has produced more than $283,200 in grants and keeps growing.

Create impact with your own endowment fund

Amplify your impact with an endowed charitable fund today. Leave a legacy of impact that lasts forever.

• Speak to your professional advisor about your interest in partnering with the Community Foundation of Broward to create BOLD impact with every dollar you give.

• Create a customized giving plan, including the perfect charitable fund to accomplish your goals and support the causes you care about most.

• Establish your fund using cash, stock, and IRA distribution, real estate, life insurance, a gift from a private foundation or even a grant from an outside donor-advised fund.

Make the most of your charitable giving. Contact the Community Foundation of Broward today. Visit www.cfbroward.org to learn how partnering with Broward’s local philanthropy experts can help you amplify your impact.

For your copy of the free booklet, “Your Charitable Fund Made Easy,” please contact Nancy Thies, VP, Philanthropic Services, nthies@cfbroward.org, or call 954-761-9503.

“Madelaine and I have been incredibly fortunate. We were given opportunities that have allowed us to live the American Dream. We simply want to give children less fortunate than us an opportunity to live it, too. The Community Foundation enables us to do that – in perpetuity.”

Steve Halmos, new Community Builder, former Board Member

COVID-19 Origins: Investigating a “Complex and Grave Situation” Inside a Wuhan Lab

The Wuhan lab at the center of suspicions about the pandemic’s onset was far more troubled than known, documents unearthed by a Senate team reveal. Tracing the evidence, Vanity Fair and ProPublica give the clearest view yet of a biocomplex in crisis.

BY KATHERINE EBAN, VANITY FAIR, AND JEFF KAO, PROPUBLICA

This article was produced in partnership with Vanity Fair. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.

“A SECRET LANGUAGE OF CHINESE OFFICIALDOM”

Toy Reid has always had a gift for languages — one that would carry him far from what he calls his “very blue-collar” roots in Greenville, South Carolina. In high school, Spanish came easily. At nearby Furman University, where he became the first person in his family to attend college, he studied Japanese. Then, “clueless but curious,” as he puts it, he channeled his fascination with the Dalai Lama into a master’s degree in East Asian philosophy and religion at Harvard. Along the way,

he picked up Khmer, the national language of Cambodia, and achieved fluency in Chinese.

But it was his career as a China specialist for the Rand Corporation and as a political officer in East Asia for the U.S. State Department that taught him how to interpret a notoriously opaque language: the “party speak” practiced by Chinese Communist officials.

Party speak is “its own lexicon,” explains Reid, now 44 years old. Even a native Mandarin speaker “can’t really follow it,” he says. “It’s not meant to be easily understood. It’s almost like a secret language of Chinese

officialdom. When they’re talking about anything potentially embarrassing, they speak of it in innuendo and hushed tones, and there’s a certain acceptable way to allude to something.”

For 15 months, Reid loaned this unusual skill to a nine-person team dedicated to investigating the mystery of COVID-19’s origins. Commissioned by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the team examined voluminous evidence, most of it open source but some classified, and weighed the major credible theories for how the novel coronavirus first made the leap to humans. An interim

report, released on Thursday by the minority oversight staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP), concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic was “more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident.”

As part of his investigation, Reid took an approach that was artful in its simplicity. Working out of the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington and a family home in Florida, he used a virtual private network, or VPN, to access dispatches archived on the website of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). These dispatches remain on the internet, but their mean-

ing can’t be unlocked by just anyone. Using his hard-earned expertise, Reid believes he unearthed secrets that were hiding in plain sight.

Ever since the Chinese city of Wuhan was identified as ground zero for the COVID-19 pandemic, a contingent of scientists have suspected that the virus could have leaked from one of the WIV’s complex of laboratories. The WIV is, after all, the venue for some of China’s riskiest coronavirus research. Scientists there have mixed components of different coronaviruses and created new strains, in an effort to predict the risks of human infection and to

ABOVE Wuhan, China

develop vaccines and treatments. Critics argue that creating viruses that don’t exist in nature runs the risk of unleashing them.

The WIV has two campuses and performed coronavirus research on both. Its older Xiaohongshan campus is just 8 miles from the crowded seafood market where COVID-19 first burst into public view. Its newer Zhengdian campus, about 18 miles to the south, is home to the institute’s most prestigious laboratory, a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) facility, designed to enable safe research on the world’s most lethal pathogens. The WIV triumphantly announced its completion in February 2015, and it was cleared to begin full research by early 2018.

Like many scientific institutes in China, the WIV is state-run and funded. The research carried out there must advance the goals of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As one way to ensure compliance, the CCP operates 16 party branches inside of the WIV, where members including scientists meet regularly and demonstrate their loyalty.

Week after week, scientists from those branches chronicled their party-building exploits in reports uploaded to the WIV’s website. These dispatches, intended for watchful higher-ups, generally consist of upbeat recitations of recruitment efforts and meeting summaries that emphasize the fulfillment of Beijing’s political goals. “The headlines and initial paragraphs seem completely innocuous,” Reid says. “If you didn’t take a close look, you’d probably think there’s nothing in here.”

But much like imperfect propaganda, the dispatches hold glimmers of real life: tension among colleagues, abuse from bosses, reprimands from party superiors. The grievances are often couched in a narrative of heroism — a focus on problems overcome and challenges met, against daunting odds.

As Reid burrowed into the party branch dispatches, he became riveted by the unfolding picture. They described intense pressure to produce scientific breakthroughs that would elevate China’s standing on the world stage, despite a dire lack

of essential resources. Even at the BSL-4 lab, they repeatedly lamented the problem of “the three ‘nos’: no equipment and technology standards, no design and construction teams, and no experience operating or maintaining [a lab of this caliber].”

nd then, in the fall of 2019, the dispatches took a darker turn. They referenced inhumane working conditions and “hidden safety dangers.” On Nov. 12 of that year, a dispatch by party branch members at the BSL-4 laboratory appeared to reference a biosecurity breach.

once you have opened the stored test tubes, it is just as if having opened Pandora’s Box. These viruses come without a shadow and leave without a trace. Although [we have] various preventive and protective measures, it is nevertheless necessary for lab personnel to operate very cautiously to avoid operational errors that give rise to dangers. Every time this has happened, the members of the Zhengdian Lab [BSL4] Party Branch have always run to the frontline, and they have taken real action to mobilize and motivate other research personnel.

Reid studied the words intently. Was this a reference to past accidents? An admission of an ongoing crisis? A general

recognition of hazardous practices? Or all of the above? Reading between the lines, Reid concluded, “They are almost saying they know Beijing is about to come down and scream at them.”

And that, in fact, is exactly what happened next, according to a meeting summary uploaded nine days later.

The dozens of pages of WIV dispatches that Reid unearthed, particularly those from November 2019, helped shape the conclusion of the interim report. Working out of a small, windowless room in the Hart building that they nicknamed “the Bat Cave,” the researchers cross-referenced Reid’s analysis with myriad clues, from procurement notices and patent filings to records of ongoing scientific experiments at the WIV. As their investigation grew, so did a timeline that unfolded across the walls like a giant checkerboard.

Given advance access to hundreds of pages of the Senate researchers’ findings and analysis, Vanity Fair, in partnership with ProPublica, spent five months investigating their underlying evidence. We analyzed WIV documents, consulted with experts in CCP communications, asked biocontainment experts to help analyze documents and reviewed with independent scientists the possible evidence that certain vaccine research may have begun far earlier than acknowledged.

We also traced the hazards that arose

as the WIV built a lab to research the world’s most dangerous pathogens. Taken together, our reporting provides critical context that is not included in the pared-down 35-page interim report. It offers the most detailed picture to date of the months leading up to the COVID-19 outbreak, including new details on the intense pressure the lab faced to produce breakthrough research, its struggles to grapple with mounting safety issues and a previously unreported series of references to a mysterious incident shortly before the virus began infecting its first victims.

The Senate HELP minority committee did not release a detailed 236-page analysis that Reid drafted as a companion report. Nor did the interim report provide context for the documents he unearthed. These omissions came as hundreds of pages were whittled down to 35 in the days before the report was released. Though some members of the Senate team reviewed a small number of classified documents, the interim report relied only on publicly available material. A spokesperson for the Senate HELP minority committee told Vanity Fair and ProPublica: “What has been included in the interim report are the facts the Committee has determined are ready for, and worthy of, publication at this time. The Committee’s bipartisan oversight investigation is still ongoing, and what is worthy of inclusion will find its way into the final report.”

Vanity Fair and ProPublica downloaded more than 500 documents from the WIV website, including party branch dispatches from 2017 to the present. To assess Reid’s interpretation, we sent key documents to experts on CCP communications. They told us that the WIV dispatches did indeed signal that the institute faced an acute safety emergency in November 2019; that officials at the highest levels of the Chinese government weighed in; and that urgent action was taken in an effort to address ongoing safety issues. The documents do not make clear who was responsible for the crisis, which laboratory it affected specifically or what the exact nature of the biosafety emergency was.

The interim report also raises questions

about how quickly vaccines were developed in China by some teams, including one led by a military virologist named Zhou Yusen. The report called it “unusual” that two military COVID-19 vaccine development teams were able to reach early milestones even faster than the major drug companies who were part of the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed program.

Vanity Fair and ProPublica spoke to experts who said that the timeline of Zhou’s vaccine development seemed unrealistic, if not impossible. Two of the three experts said it strongly suggested that his team must have had access to the genomic sequence of the virus no later than in November 2019, weeks before China’s official recognition that the virus was circulating.

a Chinese Embassy spokesperson, Liu Pengyu, dismissed allegations of a lab leak and said that an international team convened by the World Health Organization concluded that “the allegation of lab leaking is extremely unlikely. The conclusion should be respected. … From the very beginning, China has taken a scientific, professional, serious and responsible attitude in origins tracing.” Some American politicians and journalists “distort facts and truth,” he said, adding that the U.S. should “stop using the epidemic for political manipulation and blame games.”

“OPEN THE APERTURE OF YOUR MIND”

More than two years after the COVID-19 pandemic’s onset, the question of its

The authors of the interim report do not claim to have definitively solved the mystery of COVID-19’s origin. “The lack of transparency from government and public health officials in the [People’s Republic of China] with respect to the origins of SARS-CoV-2 prevents reaching a more definitive conclusion,” the report says, adding that its conclusion could change if more independently verifiable information becomes available.

Throughout the pandemic, the WIV has largely remained a black box, owing to the Chinese government’s refusal to cooperate with international probes. By mining the WIV’s own records, Toy Reid and Senate researchers unearthed new clues that support the interim report’s assessment that a lab accident was “most likely” responsible for the pandemic.

In response to detailed questions,

origin has remained a scientific whodunit for the ages. Did the virus come from a caged infected animal, languishing in the warren of stalls at a Wuhan wholesale market? Or did it come from the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology, where China’s top coronavirus researchers, some partly funded by the U.S. government, were splicing together coronavirus strains to gauge how they might become most infectious to humans?

A bitter battle has ensued between a group of virologists who assert their research points to a market origin and an alternate group of academics and online sleuths who argue there’s been an attempted cover-up of a more likely lab origin. Four months ago, the World Health Organization’s Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens revised

On Nov. 12, 2019, a dispatch by party branch members at the BSL-4 laboratory appeared to reference a biosecurity breach:

“These viruses come without a shadow and leave without a trace.”

an earlier conclusion and said that both scenarios remain on the table, due to insufficient evidence, and require further investigation.

In June 2021, with efforts to learn the truth at a virtual standstill, Burr drafted Dr. Robert Kadlec, the former Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response under President Donald Trump, to assemble a team to examine the leading hypotheses. Burr, the ranking member of the Senate HELP committee, is retiring at year’s end. A spokesperson for Burr declined to make him available for an interview.

In the foreword of the interim report, Burr wrote, “My ultimate goal with this report is to provide a clearer picture of what we know, so far, about the origins of SARSCoV-2 so that we can continue to work together to be better prepared to respond to future public health threats.”

Burr has served in the U.S. Congress for 28 years, first as a congressman and then, since 2005, as a senator. By today’s standards, he is a moderate Republican, having voted to convict Trump in the Jan. 6 impeachment. Long known for his work on biodefense issues, he helped lead passage of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act in 2006 and also worked

to speed up the FDA’s approval of drugs for rare diseases.

The pandemic also immersed him in scandal, as ProPublica has previously reported. In February 2020, after receiving Senate intelligence committee briefings on the health threat of COVID-19, he sold up to $1.7 million in stock holdings before the market tanked, sparking a Justice Department investigation into insider trading. Burr said he relied on public news reports to guide his decision to sell stocks. He stepped aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee after the FBI seized his cellphone. In January 2021, the DOJ closed its investigation without charging him.

The Senate HELP committee paid the salaries of seven researchers, but little more, so Kadlec cobbled together the best team he could. From the State Department, he borrowed a veterinary epidemiologist as well as Reid, whom he’d met just weeks earlier through a mutual

worked with Burr years earlier on bioterrorism issues, has served under both Republican and Democratic presidents. In 2003, he deployed to Iraq for the Department of Defense and played a critical role in debunking the false claims that trailers there doubled as mobile bioweapons labs. That experience, he says, equipped him to navigate the murky world of“dual-use research,” where civilian scientific work sometimes has a clandestine military purpose.

friend who was a Dalai Lama aficionado. At the time, Reid was detailed to the office of Sen. Marco Rubio to work on China policy issues. Kadlec also leaned on scientific advisers with expertise in virology, epidemiology and biodefense.

Kadlec, a former Air Force officer who

In February 2020, in his role at HHS, Kadlec allowed sick Americans on a cruise ship to return to the U.S. Angry that the move added to the domestic COVID-19 case count, Trump threatened to fire him. And when Rick Bright, a senior HHS official turned whistleblower, accused the Trump administration of politicizing the pandemic response, he also alleged that Kadlec demoted him in retaliation and used federal funds to bestow contracts on favored drugmakers. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis investigated. While it did not issue formal findings against Kadlec, it noted in a press release that an HHS division under Kadlec’s control awarded a lucrative contract to a drugmaker, despite regulators’ warnings about its troubled manufacturing plants. Calling the experience “very hurtful,” Kadlec says, “I got slimed in the press.” He adds, “I still carry that with me today.”

Kadlec says the investigation of the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster, in which seven astronauts died, inspired his

China “didn’t have the background of how to run [advanced laboratories] safely,” says James LeDuc. “They were trying to do their best.”

approach to the inquiry. It showed that “in complex disasters and events, there is always a political side, an engineering side, a human error side,” he says. “These things happen for a variety of reasons, so you have to open the aperture of your mind.”

In recruiting Reid, Kadlec found an analyst who would look for clues in places a typical scientist wouldn’t. “The things that I’ve been researching and translating are not really science,” Reid says. “It’s the party speaking to the world of science and trying to manage it.”

“COMPLEX AND GRAVE SITUATION”

Even the authors of the relentlessly cheerful party branch dispatches and meeting summaries in the WIV archive found it hard to sugarcoat the events of Nov. 19, 2019, Toy Reid discovered as he delved into the WIV’s archives.

Seven days after the Zhengdian party branch members wrote their memo about rushing to the front line to defend against viral dangers, fallout arrived in the form of an official visitor from Beijing. That visitor, Dr. Ji Changzheng, is the technology safety and security director for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the sprawling state agency that oversees more than 100 research institutions in China, including the WIV. His visit was billed as a senior safety-training seminar for a small high-level audience, including the WIV’s research department heads and top biosafety officials.

But the meeting, chronicled in a one and a half page summary uploaded to the WIV website on Nov. 21, was no pro forma seminar. According to Reid, it appears to have been “out of the ordinary and event driven,” and distinct from the annual safety training, which had been held in April.

For Reid, the import of Ji’s opening remarks practically leapt off the page. Ji told the assembled group that he had come bearing “important oral remarks and written instructions” from General Secretary Xi Jinping and China’s premier, Li Keqiang, to address a “complex and grave situation.”

Though the summary’s language is characteristically vague, li described:

many large-scale cases of domestic and foreign safety incidents in recent years, and from the perspective of shouldering responsibility, standardizing operations, emergency planning, and inspecting hidden dangers one-by-one, [he] laid out a deep analysis, with many layers and taken from many angles, which vividly revealed the complex and grave situation currently facing [bio]security work.

The WIV’s deputy director of safety and security spoke next, summarizing “several general problems that were found over the course of the last year during safety and security investigations, and [he] pointed to the severe consequences that could result from hidden safety dangers.”

But what drew Reid’s full attention was the word Ji used to describe the important “written instructions” he was relaying from Beijing: “pishi.” When China’s senior leaders receive written reports on a worrying or important issue, they will write instructions in the margins, known as pishi, to be carried out swiftly by lower-level officials.

As Reid interpreted it, the pishi that Ji arrived with that day appeared to have come directly from Xi, arguably China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. To Reid, it suggested that Xi himself had been briefed on an ongoing crisis at the WIV.

Is it possible that Ji meant to invoke the authority of China’s supreme leader in a general way? As Reid acknowledges, “When Chinese officials want to be taken seriously by whoever their audience is, they invoke more senior officials.” To assess whether Ji had simply been dropping Xi’s name, as a way to underscore the importance of his message, Reid researched nine of Ji’s visits to different facilities prior to the pandemic. All were characterized as annual or routine. None mentioned a pishi. “There wasn’t this bandying about of Xi,” Reid says.

Further, when Chinese officials are invoking a higher authority in general terms, they will typically cite an important speech, says Reid. For example, Ji could have referenced the one Xi gave at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ plenary

session in May 2018. As Reid puts it, “If he just wanted to invoke the authority of Xi, the natural way to do that is to say, ‘Remember when he came to speak to all of us?’” Invoking the pishi, Reid believes, was “taking it to another level.”

Ji did not respond to questions and a request for comment sent to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The director general at the WIV and the head of the WIV party committee did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Vanity Fair and ProPublica examined research from Chinese academics on pishi and separately got three experts on CCP communications to review the WIV meeting summary. All agreed that it appeared to be urgent, nonroutine and related to some sort of biosafety emergency. Two also agreed that it appeared Xi himself had issued a pishi. A former senior U.S. intelligence official said that, while the pishi in the dispatch is not necessarily a smoking gun, he reads it as saying that “there is some issue related to lab security, which doesn’t come up very often, that needed to be seen by Xi Jinping.” He added, “Something signed off on by the General Secretary (Xi) and Premier (Li) is high priority.”

Another longtime CCP analyst said it was not possible to conclude from the document that Xi and Li had actually issued a pishi related to a specific incident, or even that they had been informed of one. Ji, in her view, might well have been invoking their names without their knowledge to underscore the importance of his message. However, she said that, given the party’s preference for positive communications, the acknowledgment of a “‘complex and grave situation’ means ‘We are facing something really bad.’” She also said that the language of the summary implied that the situation in question was happening at that time.

Reading between the lines is essential to understanding what the WIV dispatches really mean. As Geremie Barmé, an emeritus professor of Chinese history at the Australian National University, who analyzed key documents at our request, said of CCP communications, “The style of self-protection, of rounding things out, of

avoiding the truth, is a highly developed, bureaucratic art form.”

Without more evidence, it is impossible to know the details of what the assembled group knew and discussed that day. But at least one news report supports the notion that the virus may have been circulating at that time. In March 2020, a veteran journalist with the South China Morning Post reported that she reviewed internal Chinese government data on early cases of COVID-19 that included a 55-year-old in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, who contracted COVID-19 on Nov. 17, 2019.

That was just two days before Ji arrived at the WIV, bearing urgent instructions from the highest levels of China’s government.

“BLACK SWANS AND GRAY RHINOS”

A virologist and former Army officer, James LeDuc spent half a century studying how infectious diseases impact public health and national security. Over the course of his career, he witnessed China’s rise from a “not well-developed country” to a biotechnology superpower, he told Vanity Fair and ProPublica.

In December 1985, LeDuc, then a supervisor at the U.S. Army medical research center, Fort Detrick, arrived at the Wuhan Institute of Virology to help work on a trial of drug efficacy for the hantavirus, a life-threatening disease transmitted by rodents. “China was emerging from the Cultural Revolution. Everyone was on bicycles,” he recalls. “I can remember giving a talk — the screen was a sheet one of us had to hold. The windows were broken out.”

Two and a half decades later, with help from French scientists and engineers, the WIV laid the cornerstone for China’s first BSL-4 laboratory. That facility, the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, would become synonymous with the country’s lofty biotech ambitions. “China has said repeatedly and forcefully — and they’re backing up their words with actions — that they intend to own the bio-revolution,” the biodefense expert Dr. Tara J. O’Toole testified in November 2019 before a U.S. Senate Armed Services Subcommittee

on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.

O’Toole served as one of Kadlec’s scientific advisers for the report.

Today, China operates three BSL-4 laboratories and plans to build at least five more. (Biolabs are rated 1-4, from least to most secure, according to standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and international public health agencies.)

China’s progress has been fast — arguably too fast for its infrastructure to keep pace. It remains dependent on other countries for critical technology and supplies, leading to chronic procurement hurdles that party branch members refer to as the “stranglehold problem.” It has a thin bench of experts to run the most advanced laboratories. China “didn’t have the background of how to run [advanced laboratories] safely,” says LeDuc. “They were trying to do their best.”

From 2010 until his retirement in 2021, LeDuc served as director of the Galveston National Laboratory, one of eight BSL-4 facilities in the U.S. During that time, he went out of his way to help improve standards at the WIV. He brought several of the WIV’s scientists to Galveston for training and invited its officials to attend an international conference he hosted.

In 2016, LeDuc returned to the WIV for a scientific meeting in which he shared a new set of recommendations. The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity had urged the U.S. government to more intensively screen proposals for what it called “gain-of-function research of concern” in which scientists manipulate dangerous pathogens to gauge their likelihood of sparking a pandemic.

LeDuc says his presentation was “not necessarily well received. Most of the folks were scientists and could care less about policy.” But he felt he had a responsibility to warn them all the same. “It’s enlightened self-interest that we are doing everything to ensure [China’s] success,” he says. “We want to make sure they have the best practices. If someone screws up, we all suffer.”

Poring through publicly available documents, Kadlec’s researchers saw that China’s top scientists had been sounding

the alarm too. “The biosafety laboratory is a double-edged sword; it can be used for the benefit of humanity but can also lead to a ‘disaster,’” warned a March 2019 article co-written by Yuan Zhiming, director of the WIV’s BSL-4 laboratory. “With increasing numbers of high-level biosafety laboratories constructed in China, it is urgent to establish and implement standardized management measures.”

That same month, the director of China’s CDC cautioned that bioengineering technologies would “also be available to the ambitious, careless, inept and outright malcontents, who may misuse them in ways that endanger our safety.” Writing in the journal Biosafety and Health, the director at the time, George Fu Gao, also urged that “modifying the genomes of animals (including humans), plants, and microbes (including pathogens) must be highly regulated.”

Meanwhile, reports of sloppy practices, hazardous conditions and inadequate oversight reverberated across China’s laboratories, according to documents unearthed by Reid and reviewed by Vanity Fair and ProPublica. A 2018 study by a municipal agency in Zhangjiajie, which canvassed 37 laboratories in the area, came to a scorching conclusion. “Our findings allow for no optimism about biosafety conditions,” the study said. “There are many hidden safety dangers, including occupational exposure, hospital acquired infections, environmental hazard, lack of training, those without credentials taking posts, management systems that do not operate effectively, leadership that does not place enough importance [on lab safety], deficient supervision and management by relevant health departments, etc.”

On Nov. 7, 2018, an official with the Municipal Health Inspection Bureau of Guangzhou, China’s largest manufacturing hub, identified a litany of hazards found during laboratory biosafety inspections: improper use of disinfectants, substandard management of samples, personnel with inadequate training and protective gear, and laboratory wastewater released directly into sewage systems.

The WIV was by no means exempt from

such problems, according to reports in its own archives. In 2011 and 2018, inspections of WIV laboratories turned up lapses including improper storage of viral samples and management failings.

Then, on Dec. 24, 2018, an incident that was impossible to conceal helped catapult lab safety to the top of China’s policy agenda. Three students at Beijing Jiaotong University burned to death after improperly stored chemicals exploded inside the school’s laboratory.

On Jan. 21, 2019, Xi Jinping gave a speech to the CCP’s Central Party School, where budding young cadres receive their higher education. Conveying a sense of “anxious urgency,” according to The New York Times, he stressed the need to prepare for two kinds of risks: “black swans and gray rhinos.” He was referring to two concepts popularized in bestselling books: A black swan is a rare and unpredictable event, while a gray rhino is an obvious risk that is ignored until it poses an immediate threat. Xi proceeded to describe potential security problems in China’s state laboratories, leaving no doubt that he was concerned about the issue.

With Xi himself calling for action, a biosecurity bill that had been on the back burner became a top priority and later passed. In October 2019, Gao Hucheng, chairman of a National People’s Congress committee responsible for environmental protection, argued for its importance before the Congress’ standing committee.

In the fall of that year, according to declassified intelligence in a U.S. State Department fact sheet, several researchers inside the WIV became sick “with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses.” The fact sheet did not say who the researchers were or how the US government learned of their illnesses.

As the Chinese government raced to overhaul biosafety regulations, scientists at the WIV faced a conflicting imperative: Beijing’s demand for scientific breakthroughs, which created pressure to perform cutting-edge experiments that could be published in prestigious journals. A party branch dispatch noted that Tong

Xiao, a member of the WIV’s CCP committee, often told scientists there: “Don’t look at your work duties as pressure. Every task is an opportunity and a ladder for continuous self-improvement. Our team’s belief is that suffering losses is good fortune.”

“They’ve got this really aggressive regime breathing down their neck,” says Reid. “These guys are in a political pressure cooker.”

“A DOOM LOOP OF PRESSURE”

In 2002, an outbreak of the SARS coronavirus that originated in China spread around the world, killing 774 people and infecting more than 8,000. At first, China tried to conceal the problem. When that became impossible, it played down the severity, falsely claiming the epidemic was under control. Meanwhile, in two separate incidents in 2004, SARS accidentally leaked from a top laboratory in Beijing and led to mini outbreaks.

In the wake of the debacle, China committed to a long-term project to not only repair its public-health reputation but also achieve the cutting-edge scientific prowess worthy of a true global superpower.

Set high above a flood plain, the four-story concrete laboratory was designed to withstand a magnitude 7 earthquake. By early 2018, it had been accredited to research the world’s most dangerous pathogens, including Ebola, Marburg and Nipah viruses. Xi Jinping himself hailed it as “of vital importance to Chinese public health.”

From the outside, the WIV appeared to be a transparent hub for top-caliber international collaborations. That ethos was best embodied by a fearless scientist named Shi Zhengli. She had risen through the ranks at the WIV to become director of its Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases and deputy director of its BSL-4 lab. Fluent in French, she had trained at the BSL-4 Jean Mérieux-Inserm Laboratory in Lyon and was well known in China as “bat woman” for her intrepid exploration of their caves to collect samples. “Shi Zhengli was totally aware of how to handle viruses,” Gabriel Gras, a French biosafety and biocontainment technology expert who helped train the WIV’s BSL-4 staff, told Vanity Fair and ProPublica. “She has handled these all her life.”

As the BSL-4 lab there became one of the nation’s most exalted scientific showpieces, Shi’s research grew in impor-

In 2004, French president Jacques Chirac flew to Beijing to sign a scientific cooperation agreement that would help catapult China into the big leagues. Welcomed with lavish ceremony, amid Champagne and strutting soldiers, Chirac pledged that France would sell China four mobile BSL-3 laboratories, help build a world-class BSL-4 lab and partner on essential research.

Eleven years and $44 million later, construction of the BSL-4 lab was complete.

tance and scope. In a 2015 research paper, Shi and a University of North Carolina virologist named Ralph Baric proved that the spike protein of a novel coronavirus could be used to infect human cells. Using mice as subjects, they spliced the spike of a novel SARS-like virus from a bat into a version of the 2003 SARS virus, creating a new infectious pathogen. The virus manipulation was completed at Baric’s BSL-3 lab in North Carolina. This gain-of-function experiment was so fraught that the authors

“My gut feeling is that the WIV was not ready to go hot when they turned everything on [at the BSL-4] and started doing experiments in early 2018,” says Larry Kerr.

essentially put a warning label on it, writing, “scientific review panels may deem similar studies … too risky to pursue.”

In March 2018, Shi partnered with Baric and a longtime collaborator, Peter Daszak, on a $14 million grant proposal to genetically manipulate bat coronaviruses to see how they might cause pandemics. The proposal called for possibly enhancing the viruses with something called a furin cleavage site to boost their entry into human cells. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) rejected the grant proposal for not adequately assessing the risks posed by a supercharged virus.

It is not clear whether WIV scientists continued the research on their own. Shi and Baric did not offer comment. In his response to our request for comment,

pandemic. The interim report enumerates several types of risky research conducted at the WIV at BSL-3 and BSL-2 levels. Animal experiments to test the efficacy of vaccines generated highly infectious aerosols that are “difficult to detect,” the interim report says, adding that “there were concerns about conducting this type of research in a BSL2 laboratory.”

In early 2017, the collaboration with the French fizzled and Gras, the last French expert there, departed. The French had served as designers and contractors but never became partners. “I think the French did not really have a strong interest in working with Wuhan,” in part due to diverging research interests, Gras said. He added that Yuan Zhiming, the BSL-4 director, “was not an easy person. He can put pressure on people.” Yuan did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Long before the lab began its riskiest work, there were alarming signs of trouble ahead. In 2016, during severe flooding, the waters rose so high that nearby streets were impassable, and researchers had to hike through a forested area to reach the laboratory and ensure its safety, Zhengdian lab party branch members recounted in a WIV dispatch that Toy Reid unearthed.

The decision to build the walls out of stainless steel caused a considerable challenge. Stainless steel is “very vulnerable to corrosion” from disinfectants, Bob Hawley, the former chief of safety and radiation protection at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease, told Vanity Fair and ProPublica. Hawley is an expert adviser to the interim report.

that imperiled safe operations in China’s laboratories. In the September 2019 issue of the Journal of Biosafety and Security, he described a threadbare system where maintenance costs were “generally neglected” and “several high-level BSLs have insufficient operational funds for routine yet vital processes. Due to the limited resources, some BSL-3 laboratories run on extremely minimal operational costs or in some cases none at all.”

Gerald Parker, associate dean for Global One Health at Texas A&M University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and an expert adviser to the interim report, told Vanity Fair and ProPublica that he found Yuan’s revelations “jaw-dropping.” The combination of biosafety problems and limited maintenance funds is “a recipe for disaster,” he said. “You further couple that with an authoritarian regime where you could be penalized for reporting safety issues. You are in a doom loop of pressure to produce, and if something goes wrong you may not be incentivized to report.”

As the Zhengdian lab party branch members noted in their dispatch of Nov. 12, 2019, which the interim report includes: “In the laboratory, they often need to work for four consecutive hours, even extending to six hours. During this time, they cannot eat, drink or relieve themselves. This is an extreme test of a person’s will and physical endurance.”

Daszak did not address the DARPA grant. He said that he had not reviewed the Senate report and instead pointed to another report, which he recently co-authored in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that “strongly indicates” a natural origin for SARS-CoV-2.

Though Shi was most often pictured in the Chinese press in her white, pressurized oxygen suit, required for BSL-4 research, published papers show that she and the researchers she supervised did much of their work in BSL-3 and even BSL-2 facilities, which the WIV allowed prior to the

Even in 2016, Chinese technicians were already struggling with how to properly disinfect laboratory surfaces and other items, according to emails obtained in a FOIA lawsuit. That July, Yuan emailed an NIH staffer he’d met the previous year under the subject line “ask for help.” He wrote that he was seeking “some suggestion for the choice of disinfectants” used in the BSL-4 laboratory. “I am sorry to disturb you and I really hope you could give us some suggestion,” he wrote.

As LeDuc observed, “They were looking for expertise wherever they could find it.”

Yuan himself identified the shortage of expertise as one of many problems

A four- to six-hour shift in a positive pressure suit would be “unusually lengthy,” said Hawley, given the stress of dehydration, lack of mobility and noise from oxygen that is so loud it requires hearing protection. “Usually, it’s only a couple of hours at the maximum.”

Larry Kerr, a virologist who recently retired as HHS’s director of the Office of Pandemics and Emerging Threats and served as an expert adviser to the Senate report, told Vanity Fair and ProPublica, “My gut feeling is that the WIV was not ready to go hot when they turned everything on [at the BSL-4] and started doing experiments in early 2018.” He added: “Even the WIV’s people are saying, ‘We don’t have the resources and capabilities to keep this up and running.’ It’s like, holy crap, if you are working in a lab like that, I don’t under-

On Dec. 11, a team of WIV researchers submitted a patent application for a device to filter and contain hazardous gases inside a biological chamber, like the ones it used to transport infected animals.

Viva la

Mexico

MEXICO CITY WITH EMILIO DOMINGUEZ

BY RICHARD ROSSER

I get the hype about Mexico City now. It’s big — really big, with 23 million residents. It’s busy — fast and loud with every kind of activity, food, and hustle to make a buck. There was an endless list of food I had never considered edible and Mariachi bands everywhere that could play any style of music.

But its flavors, sites and sounds are world-class and incredibly vibrant. The city has everything and lots of it. Too many Americans underappreciate this enormous city and its centuries of history that eclipse our own in many ways.

I constantly seek trends about destinations that hold the promise of an excellent adventure. The Mexico City food scene has been on my bucket list, so I approached Emilio Dominguez, owner and chef of Casa Maya Grill, a restaurant in The Cove in Deerfield Beach. As a native of the city, he loved the idea of a foodie tour, and we began to plan. That was three years ago. The pandemic derailed the plans.

But that is old news. The travel scene is quite robust, and our trip was smooth and comfortable, mainly due to Emilio’s knowledge and connections. American Airlines has many 2.5-hour flights daily to and from Mexico City International Airport (CDMX). That part of the journey was smooth.

Six other locals joined Emilio and me on this exploration. The

LEFT Three years ago, I pitched the idea to Emilio Dominguez to lead a foodie tour of his hometown, Mexico City (Cuidad de Mexico). Then Covid-19 happened. This photograph shows Emilio (center) describing the Monument of the Revolution, honoring Mexico’s struggle to gain independence from Spain, easily the most recognized monument in the country.

To be seated at the corner table of an amazing restaurant, Arrango, overlooking this monument, with Emilio as our guide, and the sun setting behind us was beyond my expectations.

ABOVE Emilio Dominguez sipping a refreshing cerveza on the 38th floor overlooking the massive city, which is already very high at over 7,000 feet of altitude.

TOP right Mike Peters and Shelby Barras at Teotihuacan.

RIGHT Of all the food we ate in CDMX, that was the best single item - just an amazing blast of flavors and The Hotel Sofitel Reforma was an excellent choice; downtown, next to the American embassy with a rooftop bar and restaurant that gave the group full views of the massive city. fresh ingredients.

goal was to focus on the food and get the true feeling of being a resident of Mexico City by tasting a bit of history, art, music and some tequila. Perhaps a bit too much of the latter.

There are endless ways to explore this city. With Emilio’s help and his connection with Gilberto, our driver and fixer, we explored the city briefly but boldly. Our hotel was modern, sophisticated and right in the middle of everything. Our dinners were elegant and luxurious, but we ate some crazy stuff and never saw a menu. We visited several historical and artistic treasures of this great country and were never bored.

ABOVE Group shot - with my phone thrown over to the boatman on another boat.

BELOW The Hotel Sofitel Reforma was an excellent choice; downtown, next to the American embassy with a rooftop bar and restaurant that gave the group full views of the massive city.

LEFT View from the Sofitel overlooking the Angel of Independence, celebrating the Mexico victory for independence from Spain in 1821.

BELOW During our time in CDMX there were some reminders that crime can be a problem. Tourists are supposed to be strictly off limits for gang and cartel fighting, so we were told, but we also treated with great service and felt safe.

RIGHT Park rangers were located at a few spots to explain the importance of certain parts of the city. Fun fact: this entire city of buildings and pyramids were buried and cover with soil and foliage as late as 1900, with farms and a village on top of the

ABOVE

Zeke and Mindy grabbed a snack from the roasted corn boat.

RIGHT Ten minutes of religion. Most travelers have seen amazing churches and most every town in Mexico has one in the middle. Emilio and Shelby pose for a quick photo at the cathedral in Chocochay, near the market with the insects.

RIGHT The team at Arrango thrill us all with amazing service, presentations and service. Emilio and the chef did all the ordering and the group shared everything. The fun and commaraderie blossomed then we were all pleasants surprised with whatever food appeared. Besides, if we tried to read the menus, we would have not understood very much.

ABOVE Skulls, skeletons and the dead are a big part of Mexican culture. The human history of Mexico is tragically filled with enormous losses of life due to tribal fighting and diseases, most notably, imported pandemics of smallpox and influenza from the Spanish invaders in the 1500s.

The lush and fertile land of the region allowed for huge population growth, which in turn caused pandemics and massive loss of life. The explorer Hernán Cortés and 500 Spanish soldiers were able to conquer the 16 million Aztecs in 1519 because smallpox killed over 40% of the population in just one year. So, what better way to cope with the loss of loved ones than recreate them and celebrate them in extravagant ways? The “Dias de los Muertos” (day of the dead) may seem like our Halloween and occurs around the same time, but many additional parts of the tradition involve offerings and blessings to departed loved ones.

RIGHT Teotihuacan: Two hours of history: I watched several travel videos about Teotihuacuan but was still impressed with the size and history represented there. This site predates the more famous Aztecs and Mayans and was active as the capital of the region from 100 A.D. to 700 B.C.E. It had a population twice of the size of Rome during the same period. At its heyday, most of the structures were covered with stucco and painted with vivid colors and designs and was one of the most important city in the western hemisphere, close in stature to Cusco, Peru, home of the Incas.

Fun fact: As a school boy, Emilio went on field trips to Teotihuacan and was allowed

ABOVE RIGHT The name Xochimilco refers to “the place where flowers grow” but that is only part of the story. The land was literally created above a huge lake by the Aztecs using terraforming techniques that are still in use today. The agriculture of the park is often used in the fine restaurants of the city because of the unique quality of the soil. These farming areas needed boats to get around and the tradition of riding in a boat to celebrate family events and holidays on the boats began soon after.

MIDDLE RIGHT On this type of trip, I try to buy a hat. Well . . . everybody decided that was a fun idea

ABOVE Hungry? A boat with tacos will pass by soon enough. Need a souvenir? The gift shop boat can help you. Want a mariachi band to play for you ON your boat? There are many bands to choose from. Just one big rule: only professionals are allowed to step from boat to boat, no regular guests, no exceptions. This rule makes a TON of sense. I am surprised that we didn’t see anyone fall into the water during the 3 hours were were on in the canals.

RIGHT It was just a coincidence that it was

ABOVE But what better way to celebrate your birthday than to have a priviate Mariachi concert on your boat.

RIGHT Our group was bold enough to try lots of crickets - with a smokey/ nutty flavor - and the ant larve, but the no one was game for the scorpions.

IF YOU GO

HIRE A DRIVER, GUIDE OR BUS TOUR.

A bi-lingual guide who knows the city removes a lot of frustrations that can ruin a trip. You can walk around or taxi to places in the city’s central area, but adventuring beyond there may be stressful for most people. There are endless tours out to Teotihuacan, Xochimilco and most everywhere else.

BE OPEN TO EXPLORATION AND NEW EXPERIENCES.

Big city travel requires a certain amount of bravery, unlike beachside resort relaxation. Mexico City will test your bravery — Not as much as Mumbai or Istanbul, but still, it is a vibrant place of endless fascination. Try the new foods. Dance in the streets to Mariachis. Learn a little Spanish.

OPEN YOUR EYES TO MEXICO. Americans have misconceptions about Mexico, yet it is a close neighbor and our largest international trading partner and is projected to grow in this capacity. The vibrancy and youth of Mexico will be a big part of our economic future in the decades to come.

LEFT Prickly chayote was new to me so I had to try one. The nice corn & chayote boat vendor peeled and served it as well. Serve hot, it like a more robust and tasty cucumbercheap, filling and healthy.

BELOW Mariachi bands are not for the tourists. We stopped for a “snack” at a “local joint” - that really meant, many amazing tacos, lots of tequila, at least seven deserts and several mariachi bands playing one after another for occasions like birthdays and graduations.

Prickly chayote

Zoom classes On Demand Classes Studio Classes Events

“The series of exercises (different each class) work deep into the muscles to lengthen and sculpt with small repetitive movements. Expect thigh and glute work that will leave you shaking, but also a focus on breath and gratitude that will leave you feeling uplifted and ready to tackle the day ahead.”

Barre 50 is a 50 minute low impact full body workout which is kind to the body. It sculpts, strengthens and stretches the body in a safe and effective way. Barre 50’s boutique style classes are kept small in numbers so our highly skilled instructors can tailor each class to suit the individual needs of each student.

Barre 50 event at The Wing, London

OUT TO EAT

BROWARD BEACHES

Email us with any additions, closings, or corrections at editor@ pointpubs. com. We try to be accurate, but it’s always a good idea to call first before heading out on your dining adventure.

KEY

$ Inexpensive (under $20)

$$ Moderate ($21-$40)

$$$ Expensive ($41-$65)

$$$$ Pricey (over $65)

Lighthouse Point

Bonefish Mac’s Sports Grill. AMERICAN Bar food and a wide array of televised sports games with a game room for kids. 2002 E. Sample Road, 954-781-6227 $

Cap’s Place. SEAFOOD Lighthouse Point’s own hidden seafood joint dating back to prohibition. Take the short boat ride over to the restaurant. 2765 NE 28th Court, 954-941-0418 $$$

Fetta Republic. GREEK Traditional Greek offerings close to home. 2420 N. Federal Highway, 954-933-2394 $-$$

Fish Shack. SEAFOOD This restaurant used to be a “best-kept secret.” But now that they have moved into the Shoppes at Beacon Light, the word is out. The Fish Shack keeps it simple, serving fresh fish prepared in several ways. There is more to the menu, but it is called The Fish Shack. 2460 N. Federal Highway, 954-586-4105 $$

Le Bistro. CONTINENTAL Classically-trained chef Andy Trousdale serves up classics and inventive new dishes at this little neighborhood gem. Fresh and local produce is always used, and vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free menu items are available. A note to the wise; the porcini mushroom soup is worth every calorie. The restaurant also offers cooking classes and wine tasting dinners. More than worthy of a special occasion. Reservations are recommended. 4626 N. Federal Highway, 954-946-9240 $$$

Legends Tavern and Grille. AMERICAN Enjoy gastropub fare, including sandwiches, burgers, wings, salads and a huge choice of appetizers. 3128 N. Federal Highway, 754-220-8932 $-$$

The Nauti Dawg Marina Café. AMERICAN Nestled at the Lighthouse Point Marina, the Nauti Dawg is a local favorite. Start with the tuna wontons—crispy fried wonton wrappers topped with tuna tartare, seaweed salad, red pepper mayo, wasabi and a hit of sriracha. You can’t go wrong with the fresh fish sandwich—ask what the catch of the day is. They are a dog-friendly restaurant. 2830 NE 29th Ave. (at the Lighthouse Point Marina), 954-941-0246 $$

Papa’s Raw Bar. SUSHI • SEAFOOD While the fresh food is the real star, the Keys-inspired decor accounts for part of their charm. The menu goes beyond typical raw bar offerings with inventive tacos and sliders. Papa’s also offers an impressive array of sushi and sashimi. And to wash it all down, they have about a zillion craft beer options and a good wine list too. 4610 N. Federal Highway, 754-307-5034 $$-$$$

Rocca Trattoria. ITALIAN Rocco is an intimate neighborhood place serving classic Italian fare. 2014 E Sample Road, 954-876-1733 $$

Deerfield Beach

Baja Cafe. MEXICAN Locals flock to this long-established favorite for a Mexican dinner or just drinks. They are known for their margaritas and entrées, including their bandito honey bean burritos and many taco options. You’ll also enjoy their endless fresh chips served with two types of salsa. 1310 S. Federal Highway, 954-596-1304 $$

Barracuda Seafood Bar & Grill. SEAFOOD • BRAZILIAN This spot by the sea serves seafood with a touch of Brazilian flare, such as the

bobo de camarao — shrimp sautéed in coconut milk, saffron, palm oil and yucca cream baked in a cast-iron skillet. 123 NE 29th Ave., 954-5311290 $$

Casa Maya. MEXICAN Start with a margarita, and it only gets better from there. This is not your typical Mexican joint — it’s better. Try gobernador tacos: a combination of shrimp with diced poblanos, onions, tomatoes and cilantro on a crispy corn tortilla topped with melted cheese. 301 SE 15th Terrace, 954-570-6101 $$

Chanson at the Royal Blues Hotel. SEAFOOD • SEASONAL Chanson offers fine dining with an ocean view. 45 NE 21st Ave., 954-8572929. $$$$

Deer Creek Grille. AMERICAN Enjoy the club atmosphere with gorgeous views of the lush gardens and waterfall. The restaurant offers daily lunch and dinner specials, a Sunday breakfast buffet and covered patio dining so you can dine al fresco. 2801 Deer Creek Country Club Blvd., 954-421-5553 $$

JB’s on the Beach. SEAFOOD The restaurant boasts glorious beach views and a private glass room perfect for business or family affairs. 300 N. Ocean Way, 954-571-5220 $$$

Le Val de Loire Restaurant. FRENCH • STEAKHOUSE The menu at this cozy French bistro includes many classics. So next time you crave sole meunière, filet mignon au poivre or beef bourguignon, you don’t have to go further than the Cove. The steakhouse menu includes a New York strip and a rib eye, among other cuts. Le Val de Loire is a French restaurant, so they offer three sauces with the steaks — including a mushroom cream sauce. Classic steakhouse sides like creamed spinach are also available. 1576 SE Third Court, 954-427-5354 $$$

Little Havana. CUBAN Little Havana has fantastic lunch specials, and most of their dinner plates will feed two. Their masas de puerco frita and their Little Havana steak are two of the standout menu items, aside from their zesty chimichurri. 721 N. Federal Highway, 954-427-6000 $$

Luigi di Roma. ITALIAN The atmosphere is always lively at Luigi di Roma — mainly if you arrive during happy hour! Naturally, you will find all your favorite Italian dishes on the menu, with everything from eggplant Parmesan to shrimp scampi and everything in between. You can also order take-out online. 718 S. Federal Highway, 954-531-6151 $$-$$$

Ocean’s 234. SEAFOOD Amazing views of Deerfield Beach and the pier. 234 N. Ocean Blvd., 954-428-2539 $$$

Patio Bar & Grill. CONTINENTAL Enjoy cocktails just feet from the sandy beaches of Deerfield. This relaxed spot at the Wyndham serves casual fare. You can stick to the classics like wings or a shrimp cocktail. Or be more adventurous and enjoy an order of volcano spring rolls stuffed with crab and served with sriracha mayo and wakame slaw. They also serve burgers and plenty of fresh salads and savory entrees. There is often live music contributing to the energetic vibe. 2096 NE Second St., (at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort) 954-596-8618 $$

IN THE NORTH

WITH MRS. KOSSENFLOFFER Bo n App et it !

Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort

Patrizio of NYC. ITALIAN At Patrizio, you will find all the classic Italian dishes we all love. The vibe is lively and the food is tasty. What more do you need? 1544 SE Third Court, 954-751-9797 $$

Taj. INDIAN This unassuming eatery in the Cove Shopping center has been quietly chugging along for years. The restaurant serves various Indian favorites, including tandoori breads, biryani, lamb specialties, and plenty of vegetarian options. The saag paneer, which is the Indian version of creamed spinach, goes well with anything on the menu. SE 15th Terrace, 954-427-0423 $$

Tijuana Taxi Co. MEXICAN Perhaps it’s the all-day happy hour (Mon.-Fri., 11am-7pm) with $6 El Jimador margaritas, but as soon as you enter, the day’s weight lifts off your shoulders. There is outdoor patio seating available and a large U-shaped bar inside. The portions are generous — certainly enough for a doggie bag. And for the little ones there is kids night on Sunday: kids eat for $1.99 from the $6.99 kids menu. 1015 S. Federal Highway, 954-708-2775 $$

Whales’ Rib. SEAFOOD Locals know it well, and tourists know it from “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” Whatever you do, don’t skip the whale fries. 2031 NE Second St., 954-421-8880 $$

Pompano Beach

And Fish Kitchen + Bar. SEAFOOD Located at the Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa, diners will enjoy a modern take on fresh seafood. The restaurant sports a contemporary and breezy ambiance. 1200 N. Ocean Blvd., 954-782-0100 $$

The Beach Grille. AMERICAN Delicious eats near the beach with the capability to order online. 3414 E Atlantic Blvd., 954-946-6000 $

Beach House. AMERICAN • CRAFT COCKTAILS This is the perfect place to take out-of-town guests. Snag one of the stadium seating style booths overlooking the Atlantic. Enjoy the casual and relaxed ambiance with a rooftop deck on the second floor. 270 N Pompano Beach Blvd. 954607-6530 $$

Brew Fish. BAR AND GRILL Dine outside in the tiki hut overlooking a canal right in Pompano Beach. They have a comprehensive bar/pub-style menu. 200 E. McNab Rd., 954-440-3347 $$

Briny Irish Pub. IRISH • BAR FOOD At the end of East Atlantic Boulevard stands Briny Irish Pub. There is a large beer selection plus the regular and, dare we say unique mixed drinks. The kitchen offers an array of bar food and some classics like bangers and mash and fish-n-chips. The casual atmosphere is created by an immense array of nautical artifacts and oddities that fill every inch of the pub. Music plays constantly, often live with a dance floor if one is inclined. 3440 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-942-3159 $

Calypso Restaurant and Raw Bar. CARIBBEAN This gem of a restaurant is known for its fresh, wild caught fish, Bahamian conch dishes, Jamaican jerk and American favorites all served with an island flair. Try the house special cutter (sandwich) — sautéed shrimp with garlic butter, mushrooms and cheddar all stuffed into a hollowed-out kaiser roll. For island comfort food, don’t miss one of their curries or rotis. Fresh oysters and clams are also available. Wash it all down with a draft beer, a glass of wine or choose from over 40 different bottled beers. 460 S. Cypress Road, 954-942-1633 $$

Casareccio Trattoria Italiana. ITALIAN Wow! What a find. This small but impressive Italian eatery is delightful. We can’t tell you what to try because the menu changes daily. However, we are willing to bet you will fall in love with this place which feels like it just plopped into Pompano straight from the hills of Tuscany. Reservations are highly recommended. Also, call ahead to see what they are serving. 1386 S. Federal Highway, 954-998-3642 $$$-$$$$

Checkers Old Munchen. GERMAN For a traditional German meal, try the wiener schnitzel — it’s divine — a lightly breaded veal cutlet sautéed in lemon butter and topped with homemade brown gravy. The spaetzle (German noodles) are a real homemade treat and not to be missed — throw a little of that brown gravy on them, and they could be a meal unto themselves. Imbibe to your heart’s content with their vast assortment of German beers. 2209 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-785-7565 $$

Chef Dee’s. SUSHI • SEAFOOD A small neighborhood place with plenty of charm. Impressive sushi rolls and a varied menu with something for everyone. 3919 N. Federal Highway., 954-582-4444 $$

Dangerous Minds Brewing Co., BREWERY • ARTISANAL PIZZA Dangerous Minds is more than just a brewery. This spot at Pompano Citi Centre offers artisanal pizzas made from scratch. Their specialty is a Scotch egg, a soft-boiled egg wrapped in homemade sausage and then fried until crispy on the outside. But back to the brewery — all the beers are brewed on-site, and owners Adam and Andre hale from Germany and England — two countries steeped in beer tradition. 1901 N Federal Highway, 954-657-8676 $-$$

Darrel & Oliver’s Cafe Maxx. INTERNATIONAL This restaurant is an anchor of the South Florida fine dining scene. 2601 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-782-0606 $$$$

Deep Oceanfront Dining & Bar. AMERICAN Beach front dining at the Beachcomber Resort — go for the view. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 1200 S. Ocean Blvd. 954-941-7830 $$$

Deccan Spice. INDIAN Enjoy the contemporary decor and take your pick from classic dishes like chicken tikka and biryani and curry dishes to some Indo-Chinese twists like crunchy stir-fried noodles. There are plenty of vegetarian options on this menu and many variations on naan — Indian flatbread. 1149 S. Federal Highway, 954-366-1847 $$

Di Farina Pasta Factory & Restaurant. ITALIAN We all know that fresh-cut pasta is superior to the dried variety we have become accustomed to. But making pasta from scratch is a process. But what if you could just pick it up nearby or even have it delivered. Di Farina offers a variety of freshly made pasta to go. And if you can’t be bothered to make a sauce, they’ve got 19 from which to choose. The restaurant also has a full menu of Italian favorites. 1915 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-953-6771 $$

Flanigan’s Seafood Bar & Grill. SEAFOOD • AMERICAN Enjoy a deal every day. 2500 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-943-3762 $$

The Foundry. AMERICAN • CONTINENTAL Seating options galore, from bar seating to lounge seating and old-fashioned casual dining seating — all with a contemporary Ameican menu. 2781 E. Atlantic Blvd., 754205-6977 $$

Galuppi’s. AMERICAN What could be more entertaining than watching golfers swing and blimps ascend as you sip a drink at an outdoor bar? 1103 N. Federal Highway, 954-785-0226 $-$$

Gianni’s Italian Restaurant. ITALIAN Gianni’s is practically a Pompano Beach landmark. Enjoy traditional Italian fare at this family-owned and operated establishment, serving everything from pasta to specialties like Chicken Gianni’s and fresh seafood. Don’t skip the romaine salad with the blue cheese. Pair your dish with a bottle of wine or cocktail from their full bar. They also offer daily lunch specials Monday – Friday. 1601 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-942-1733 $$

Houston’s. AMERICAN Enjoy this contemporary eatery for lunch or dinner. An outdoor bar and seating on the Intracoastal are available. 2821 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-783-9499 $$$

J Mark’s. AMERICAN A relaxing, modern restaurant and bar with food and service to match. 1490 NE 23rd St., 954-782-7000 $$$

Kin Asian Street Food. ASIAN • SUSHI Enjoy everything from inventive takes on ramen soups with pork belly and a jammy egg to rice

bowls and dumplings. We swooned over the shiitake buns, mushrooms with pickled sour mustard, ground peanuts and cilantro, all on a steamed rice bun. The gyoza was also a star — the dough was light and tender with a flavorful pork and vegetable filling. The restaurant has a comprehensive sushi menu, but this is a place to order outside your comfort zone. After all, isn’t sushi the new pizza? 143 SW Sixth St., 954-532-4567 $$

La Perla Di Pompano. ITALIAN This small and intimate Italian eatery offers a wide selection of Italian dishes, including four different risotto dishes alone. 420 N. Federal Highway, 754-222-9174 $$$-$$$$

La Veranda. ITALIAN The atmosphere is elegant, yet comfortable and warm. Inside or out, one can enjoy a special evening in the Tuscany-inspired surroundings. There is an extensive selection of pasta, entrées and traditional dishes, with new favorites to be discovered that the wait staff will happily explain. Taste the love in their homemade desserts. If you’re looking to celebrate, La Veranda is an excellent choice. Reservations are suggested. 2121 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-943-7390 $$$

Lucky Fish Beach Bar + Grill. AMERICAN It’s places like Lucky’s that make you happy you live in South Florida. This tiki bar by the sea (just south of the pier) offers simple eats, some top-notch people watching all with an ocean view. The menu includes classic snack foods like coconut shrimp and fish dip to tuna poke nachos. There are also salads, sandwiches and smash burgers. You can also order to go for a picnic on the beach. 222 N Pompano Beach Blvd. $

Nonna’s Bistro & Cafe. ARGENTINEAN • BAKERY • CAFE Some of Nonna’s offerings include pasta frola cake, American keto salad, and a charcuterie board for two. Carryout and delivery are available. 2608 N. Ocean Blvd., 954-532-9920 $$

Oceanic. AMERICAN • SEAFOOD Along with stunning ocean views, the restaurant offers a comprehensive menu emphasizing seafood. If you are looking for a standout salad, the watermelon arugula salad with grilled shrimp is a perfect choice. The shrimp and grits were prepared traditionally and packed with flavor. The baby back ribs were melting off the bone, and there was enough for a doggy bag. The restaurant boasts dazzling architecture inspired by the great ocean liners of years past. 250 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., 954-366-3768 $$-$$$

Rusty Hook Tavern. AMERICAN Located on the Pompano Intracoastal, sit inside or outside; just keep in mind that the word tavern means a local place to gather around the table. 125 N. Riverside Drive, 954-941-2499 $$

Sands Harbor Patio Restaurant. AMERICAN Located in the Sands Harbor Hotel and Marina on the Intracoastal, you can dine poolside or waterside; either way, you better know how to swim. 125 N. Riverside Drive, 954-942-9100 $$

Seaside Grill. SEAFOOD • AMERICAN Enjoy a view of the Atlantic while enjoying fresh seafood and an icy cold cocktail. Don’t worry if you’re not a fish lover — there are plenty of entrée choices from the land. Located at Lighthouse Cove Resort on the ocean. 1406 N. Ocean Blvd., 954-783-3193 $$

Shishka Lebanese Grill. MIDDLE EASTERN It’s not easy to make a good falafel, but the ones at Shishka are worth every calorie. There are plenty of other choices, too, from the classic hummus to baba-ghanouj to chicken and meat shawarma. 1901 N. Federal Highway, 954-943-2999 $$

Spanx the Hog BBQ. BARBECUE Spanx uses natural ingredients and offers dine in, take out, and custom catering. 147 S. Cypress Road. 954-590-8342 $

Table 2201. MEDITERRANEAN Everything at Table 2201 is made on the premises — even the desserts. Start with the pygros, a tower of eggplant, potatoes and ground beef topped with a cool yogurt sauce. 2201 E. Atlantic Blvd., 718-600-2236 $$

Umberto’s of Long Island. ITALIAN • PIZZA When a pizza is

named Grandma’s Pizza — you must order it. And trust us, you won’t regret it. There is family tradition baked into every bite. But, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Umberto’s offers all the Italian standards. 2780 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-784-7110 $$

Valentino’s Italian Cuisine. ITALIAN • PIZZA An abundance of Italian fare served for lunch or dinner. If you can’t make it over to dine in, fret not; they offer free delivery. 427 S. Federal Highway, 954-943-5387 $$

Wings N’ Things. WINGS • BARBECUE It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it’s worth trying. 150 S. Sixth St., 954-781-9464 $

Yamu Thai. JAPANESE • THAI All your favorite sushi and Thai dishes 2608 N. Ocean Blvd., 954-532-7901

Zoyuz. SUSHI • JAPANESE BOWLS Zoyuz offers sushi and inventive ramen-inspired bowls. Plus, they have an innovative drink menu. 2515 E Atlantic Blvd. 954-951-6068 $$

Zuccarelli. ITALIAN • PIZZA This place is more than just a pizza joint. From eggplant Parmesan to shrimp fra diavolo, you will leave quite satisfied. The portions are generous and come with a house salad. Bring your breath mints because their garlic rolls are on point. 1340 N. Federal Highway, 954-941-1261 $

FAST & CASUAL

Lighthouse Point

FAST & CASUAL

Burger Fi. BURGERS Everything at Burger Fi is cooked to order. Don’t miss the fries and the larger-than-life onion rings. The breakfast all-day burger is topped with a fried egg. 3150 N. Federal Highway, 954-933-7120

Red Fox Diner. DINER Treat yourself to one of the daily specials at the Red Fox and you just might be able to skip dinner. But if you are in the mood for some comforting diner food, Red Fox never disappoints. Breakfast and lunch are served daily. 2041 NE 36th St., (Sample Road) 954-783-7714

Offerdahl’s. BAGELS • SANDWICHES • SALADS If you are in search of a decent bagel, this is the spot. But the menu goes far beyond bagels with tasty, inventive and healthy salads, satisfying sandwiches, and entrees. 2400 N Federal Highway, 954-788-3464

Snow Time. BOBA TEA This spot for treats features bubble tea (boba) in about a zillion flavors. If you are looking for something new, different and delicious, get some bubble tea. Other sweet treats are paper-thin shaven ice cream and authentic Asian snacks. 2482 N. Federal Highway in the Shoppes at Beacon Light, 954-597-6269 $

Deerfield Beach FAST & CASUAL

Biondo’s Pizza. PIZZA • SUBS Dine-in or take-out available. For something other than pizza, try the stromboli or the wings. 606 S. Federal Highway, 954-427-7754

Bob’s Pizza. PIZZA • ITALIAN Pizza served remarkably close to the beach — as if pizza could get any better. 2076 NE Second St., 954-4261030

Burger Craze. BURGERS Top-quality ingredients come together to create unique taste sensations. Enjoy juicy burgers, hot dogs, wings and more. 2096 NE Second St. (at the Wyndham Hotel), 954-596- 5949

Charm City. BURGERS Try the emperor — an American Kobe beef patty with aged Swiss, truffled aioli and sautéed mushrooms — a burger fit for a king. 1136 E. Hillsboro Blvd., 954-531-0300

El Jefe. MEXICAN For a genuinely inventive take on Mexican street food, this small yet bright and cheery taco joint is full of surprises. 27 N. Federal Highway, 954-246-5333

Gelateria. GELATO Gelateria offes more than 26 flavors of gelato. Take a stroll on the beach with a cone. Open daily. 2096 NE Second St. (at the Wyndham Hotel), 694-428-2850

Michael’s Pizzeria. PIZZA Closed Mondays 1645 SE Third Court, Deerfield Beach, 954-426-1515

Nick’s Pizza. PIZZA Nick’s family moved from the Bronx to Deerfield Beach years ago and opened Nick’s Pizza. The restaurant offers an extensive Italian catering menu, delivery and New York Style pizza. 137 NE Second Ave., 954-421-6700.

The Pickle Barrel. DELICATESSEN Get in touch with your inner New Yorker at this old-style deli, complete with friendly guys behind the counter filling your sandwich with enough pastrami to feed a family. 33 E. Hillsboro Blvd., 954-427-0650

Olympia Flame. DINER With a traditionally huge diner menu, you can’t go wrong at the Olympia Flame. For a real treat, try the turkey pot pie. The friendly staff makes you feel like a regular — even if you aren’t — but you should be. 80 S. Federal Highway, 954-480-8402

The Sticky Bun. DELI • BAKERY Everyone will find something to munch on, whether their flourless chocolate cake or a short rib panini with fontina cheese and pickled red onions… yum. We’re still dreaming about the BLT. 1619 SE Third Court, 754-212-5569

Tropical Grill Island Cuisine. CARIBBEAN Don’t be fooled by the counter service at this beachside eatery where the offerings range from escovitch snapper to shrimp curry. Grab a table outside for people watching. 241 N. Ocean Drive, 754-227-5055.

Umberto’s. PIZZA Family tradition baked into every bite. Try Grandma’s pizza, square pizza with fresh tomato and basil and, of course, mozzarella. 233 N. 21st Ave., 954-421-7200

Pompano Beach

FAST & CASUAL

Anne Marie’s Pizza and Wine Co. PIZZA • ITALIAN Whether you are looking to grab a quick slice or enjoy a much-needed date night, Anne Marie’s fits the bill. 2313 N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach 954590-2100.

Bakery Fusion. CAFE • BAKERY This spot at Pompano Citi Centre is a handy spot to grab a coffee and a fresh-baked good. The menu also includes many different sandwiches, soups, salads and smoothies. 1901 N. Federal Highway (Pompano Citi Centre), 954-532-7383

Bella Monte Italian Deli. SANDWICHES 2688 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-946-0333

Brendans. BAR AND GRILL Burgers, wings and more — you get the picture. 868 N. Federal Highway, 954-786-0033

Big Louie’s. ITALIAN • PIZZA A South Florida chain offering classic Italian dishes. 2190 N. Federal Highway, 954-942-5510

Borogodo Brazilian Grill. BRAZILIAN Open for lunch Monday-Friday 11am-4:30pm; Saturday 11am-5:30pm. 7 SE 22nd Ave., 954782-8040

Cafe Brie. SANDWICHES • SALADS A little gem of a place that serves fantastic sandwiches, salads, quiche and desserts. 2765 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-532-7800

Cannoli Kitchen. ITALIAN • PIZZA Try one of their many pasta dishes, calzones, subs, stromboli and other Italian classics like shrimp fra diabolo, chicken or veal marsala, and many more. 255 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., 954-737-3737

Carlucci’s Brick Oven Trattoria & Pizzeria. ITALIAN Italian favorites and brick oven pizza at the beach. Open lunch and dinner Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 12-10pm. 3420 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-946-3150

Chez Cafe. Coffee • Bakery A warm and cozy place to grab breakfast, lunch or a latte. 1631 S. Cypress Road, 954-933-3453

Dandee Donut Factory. BAKERY • PASTRIES From the classic old-fashioned sour cream to Boston cream, these babies are just begging to be dunked. 1900 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-785-1461

Five Girls. DINER Five Girls offers all the classics you crave, including burgers, hand-cut fries and the owner’s favorite Philadelphia cheesesteaks. 2659 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-783-8889

La Rachetta at Whole Foods Market. PIZZA • WINE BAR Enjoy weekly deals and brick oven pizza with plenty of beers on tap and wines by the glass. 2411 N. Federal Highway, 954-786-3535

Jet’s Pizza. PIZZA Try one of the specialty pizzas such as Philly cheese steak with Alfredo sauce or the BLT. 437 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-782-5387

Jukebox Diner. DINER Bright, classic seating, jukeboxes, and that old-school diner feel. 2773 E. Atlantic Blvd., 954-960-5882

Lighthouse Cove Tiki Bar. AMERICAN Seaside eats and happy hours. 1406 N. Ocean Blvd., 954-784-2804

Little Italian. ITALIAN • PIZZA The restaurant has a huge menu with stromboli, calzone, soups, salads, subs, 26 kinds of specialty pizzas, baked pasta dishes, chicken and veal entrées and traditional pasta dishes and desserts. 448 S. Cypress Road, 954-941-0550

Nelson’s Diner. DINER Nelson’s diner is a cute, hole-in-the-wall 50s diner with Elvis memorabilia on the walls, baseball flags on the ceiling, friendly servers and classic red vinyl booths. 438 S. Cypress Road, 954785-3646

Pascal & Cathy French. BAKERY • CAFE For fresh French baked goods, you can’t beat Pascal & Cathy. In fact, you can watch through a window as the croissants, eclairs and baguettes are prepared and baked right on the premises. The small shop also offers breakfast, sandwiches, salads, coffee and more. 998 N Federal Highway, Suite 4-5, 954-756-1496 $-$$

Rocket at Valentino’s. PIZZA This family-owned pizzeria is an excellent alternative to the big chains. Order an authentic Italian pizza and taste the love! 427 S. Federal Highway, 954-943-5387

The Chicken Box & More. SOUTHERN This small spot with just a couple of tables serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and does a robust take-out business. Have your fill of southern comfort food, including shrimp and grits with scrambled eggs, fried pork chops, classic potato salad, meatloaf and collard greens. 204 N. Flagler Avenue, 954-781-7400

The Poké Company. POKÉ Build your own bowl by choosing a base of rice or greens, then add a protein such as ahi tuna or steamed shrimp, then go to town with the mix-ins and sauces. 1154 N. Federal Highway, 754-220-8933

The Rabbit Hole. VEGAN This small spot serves vegan comfort cuisine. Dishes include meatless wings, shrimp po’ boy sandwich, a southern barbecue platter, hot dogs, stir-fry and more. Remember, it’s all vegan. 2659 E Atlantic Blvd., 954-419-4899

Tortillería Mexicana. MEXICAN If you’re looking for a taco that goes beyond ground beef and toppings? Not only will they supply you with fresh, unique tacos, but the corn tortillas are made from scratch daily. Who does that? 1614 E. Sample Rd., 954-943-0057 Y

COVID-19 Origins

stand why people don’t shut it down.”

But the showpiece laboratory remained as busy as ever. As Reid said of the WIV dispatches he analyzed, “The feel you get from all these documents is: It’s just produce, produce, produce, like an actor preparing to take the stage before they’re ready.”

“THE CCP’S VERSION OF ‘COVER YOUR ASS’”

By the fall of 2019, trouble was brewing at the WIV, according to documents turned up by Toy Reid.

On Sept. 11, 2019, the CCP’s No. 15 Inspection Patrol Group arrived at the Beijing headquarters of the WIV’s parent organization, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), to conduct a two-month political inspection. The inspection was part of a larger routine sweep of 37 state organizations. According to the inspection team’s leader, its purpose was to sniff out any “violations of political discipline, party organizational discipline, [financial] ethics discipline, discipline with regard to the masses, work discipline, and discipline in one’s personal life.” They were also on the lookout for instances of insufficient loyalty to the CCP’s mission.

The Beijing inspectors identified more than a dozen “principal problems” at CAS, among them a “‘persistent gap’ between Xi Jinping’s important instructions on pursuing ‘leap frog development in science and technology’ and CAS’s implementation of Xi’s instructions.” In short: not enough progress, despite all the pressure.

A week earlier, on Sept. 3, more than 50 managers and staffers at the WIV had met to discuss a looming internal audit that would evaluate political discipline, according to a party branch dispatch. The scientists and their overseerswere facing scrutiny at every level.

A trail of evidence from that fall appears to show the WIV trying to address a crisis. “That’s when you start to see emergency response activity,” says Larry Kerr, the former director of the HHS pandemic office.

It began within 24 hours of the start of the CAS inspection. On Sept. 12 between 2 and 3 a.m., the interim report says, the WIV

took down its Wildlife-Borne Viral Pathogen Database, which contained more than 15,000 samples from bats. The database had been a resource for researchers globally. A password-protected section only accessible to WIV personnel contained unpublished sequences of bat beta-coronaviruses — the family of coronaviruses to which SARS-CoV-2 belongs. Public access to the database has not yet been restored.

The Senate researchers analyzed a trail of procurements and patent applications, which, the interim report notes, suggest that “the WIV struggled to maintain key biosafety capabilities at its high-containment BSL3 and BSL4 laboratories.” On Dec. 11, a team of WIV researchers submitted a patent application in China for a device to filter and contain hazardous gases inside a biological chamber, like the ones it used to transport infected animals. The application, which Vanity Fair and ProPublica reviewed, noted that defective air hoses on animal carriers can lead to “multistage” risks when airborne pathogens are involved, and warned that a “stable high-efficiency filtering device” and corrosion-resistant frame were “urgently needed.” The following year, in November 2020, the WIV applied for a patent for a new disinfectant compound that it argued would reduce “the corrosion effect to metal, especially stainless steel material,” the interim report says.

The patent application, which listed seven inventors, including Yuan Zhiming, vividly describes concerns related to its prior disinfectant:

Long-term use will lead to corrosion of metal components such as stainless steel, thereby reducing the protection of … facilities and equipment. It can not only shorten its service life and cause economic losses, but also lead to the escape of highly pathogenic microorganisms into the external environment of the laboratory, resulting in loss of life and property and serious social problems.

In the words of one China analyst who serves as an adviser to Western companies, when Chinese officials “describe the solution to a problem, that’s how you find out what went wrong.”

Vanity Fair and ProPublica analyzed the

WIV website and found that there may have been an after-the-fact attempt to reframe the events of November 2019. On Nov. 11, the WIV appeared to republish the entire section of its website containing institutional and party branch news. Every dispatch from prior dates, even those from several years earlier, contains underlying data that indicates that it was changed on that day.

While this could have resulted from routine site maintenance, it raises another possibility: that WIV officials removed or revised documents in an effort to insulate themselves from blame ahead of the Nov. 19 visit from Ji Changzheng, the CAS biosecurity official.

The first dispatch to be posted after Nov. 11 was the one from the Zhengdian lab party branch enumerating how its members had rushed to the front lines every time there had been a biocontainment lapse. The dispatch was dated Nov. 12, but the underlying data suggested the file was actually uploaded on Nov. 19, the day of Ji’s urgent visit.

Matthew Pottinger, who researches China-related issues at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and was President Trump’s former deputy national security adviser, told Vanity Fair and ProPublica, “This is the CCP’s version of ‘cover your ass.’”

“SCIENTIFICALLY, TECHNICALLY NOT POSSIBLE”

As Senate researchers explored the question of when the outbreak began, they and their scientific advisers examined the surprisingly fast vaccine development by several Chinese research teams.

The work of one military vaccinologist caught their attention: Zhou Yusen, director of the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, in Beijing. Zhou had spent years working to develop vaccines for pathogens including SARS and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), a novel coronavirus first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. A 2016 report by the WIV featured Zhou as a key partner on its MERS vaccine research. And in November 2019, he collaborated on a paper with a team of

WIV scientists that included Shi Zhengli.

On Feb. 24, 2020, Zhou became the first researcher in the world to apply for a patent for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. His proposed vaccine worked by reproducing a part of the virus’s spike protein known as the receptor binding domain. In order to start vaccine development, researchers would have needed the entire SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence, the interim report says.

Shi Zhengli has said that her lab was the first to sequence the virus and completed that work on the morning of Jan. 2, 2020. That sequence is the one Zhou said he worked with in his Chinese patent application, which Vanity Fair and ProPublica reviewed.

According to the interim report, there are limits to how fast a vaccine can be developed. In particular, it said that “animal studies are designed to last a specific length of time and cannot be curtailed without compromising the resulting data.”

In his patent application and in subsequently published papers, Zhou documented a robust research and development process that included both adapting the virus to wild-type mice and infecting genetically modified ones with humanized lungs.

Vanity Fair and ProPublica consulted two independent experts and one expert adviser to the interim report to get their assessment of when Zhou’s research was likely to have begun. Two of the three said that he had to have started no later than November 2019, in order to complete the mouse research spelled out in his patent and subsequent papers.

Larry Kerr, who advised on the interim report, called the timeline laid out in Zhou’s patent and research papers “scientifically, technically not possible.” He added, “I don’t think any molecular biology lab in the world, no matter how sophisticated, could pull that off.”

Rick Bright, the former HHS official who helped oversee vaccine development for the U.S. government, told Vanity Fair and ProPublica that even a four-month timetable would be “aggressive,” especially when the virus in question is new. “Things aren’t usually that perfect,” he said.

Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, told us the timetable was very fast but “feasible for a group with substantial existing ex-

pertise and ongoing work” on developing similar SARS-related coronavirus vaccines, but only if “everything went right.”

Zhou and his colleagues described their COVID-19 vaccine research in a preprint posted on May 2, 2020. When it was published in a peer-reviewed journal three months later, Reid found, Zhou was listed as “deceased.” The circumstances of his death have not been disclosed.

BATTLE LINES

In the early hours of Jan. 1, 2020, Wuhan officials closed the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market after identifying it as the site of the world’s first cluster of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Animals for sale were carted away, stalls were sanitized and an epidemiology team spent days collecting environmental samples.

How did the virus arrive in Wuhan, a metropolis of 11 million people hundreds of miles north of China’s teeming bat caves? It was such an unlikely place for a coronavirus outbreak that WIV scientists had in the past used Wuhan residents as a control group when screening people in the countryside of Yunnan Province for exposure to bat-borne viruses. The assumption was that urbanites in Wuhan would have little contact with bats.

To many scientists, the answer was clear: The wildlife trade in China had brought live animals, an obvious source of disease, into dangerously close proximity with people. Years earlier, something similar had happened with SARS, which spilled over into multiple different markets that sold live animals across Guangdong Province over the course of months.

But the interim report also highlights questions that soon arose regarding the market theory. If the wildlife trade was the culprit, where was the trail of infected animals? And where was the animal host?

The question of where COVID-19 came from

has never been a purely scientific one. From the start, in both China and the U.S., it has been politicized almost beyond recognition.

In April 2020, Trump declared at a press conference that COVID-19 — or “kung flu,” as he soon began calling it — had come from a lab in China. When pressed on the evidence for this claim, he declared: “I can’t tell you that. I’m not allowed to tell you that.”

As a conspiratorial rabble trained its sights on the WIV generally, and Shi Zhengli specifically, Western scientists rushed to their defense. “We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin,” read a statement signed by 27 scientists and published by the Lancet medical journal on Feb. 19, 2020. It would later emerge that one of the scientists who’d signed that statement had sought to conceal his own role in orchestrating it and creating the impression of a consensus, as Vanity Fair has reported previously. That scientist didn’t address this issue when he replied to our request for comment for this article.

By then, however, the battle lines had been drawn. If you backed the lab-leak theory, you were with Trump. If you believed in science, you supported the natural-origin theory generally and the market-spillover theory in particular.

On Feb. 25, 2022, a team of researchers from China’s CDC published a preprint revealing that of the 457 swabs taken from 18 species of animals in the market, none contained any evidence of the virus. Rather, the virus was found in 73 swabs taken from around the market’s environment, all linked to human infections. And although some seafood and vegetable vendors in the market tested positive, no vendors from animal stalls did.

The next day, a team of scientists including Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, published a preprint identifying the Huanan

“The WIV is under the thumb of the party state,” says Toy Reid. “American scientists have been slow to realize that.”

market as the “unambiguous epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Using mapping software, they analyzed the locations of 155 of the earliest known cases reported by the Chinese authorities to the World Health Organization and found them to be centered on the market. A companion analysis led by Jonathan Pekar, a bioinformatics graduate student at the University of California San Diego, said there had been not one but “at least two” spillover events at the market.

The Worobey paper described its findings as “dispositive evidence” for a market origin. The New York Times catapulted the preprints to international attention. When the peer-reviewed version was published in Science in July, the “dispositive evidence” language was gone. In a detailed response to our request for comment, Worobey said that the removal of those words was the authors’ editorial choice and that the language in Science was “no less definitive” than the preprint: “It was replaced with similar language: ‘our analyses indicate that the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 occurred through the live wildlife trade in China.’”

By contrast, the interim Senate report concludes that “the hypothesis of a natural zoonotic origin no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt, or the presumption of accuracy.” The available evidence doesn’t fit the patterns of previous outbreaks, it states, including outbreaks of SARS in 2003 and avian influenza in 2013. Those outbreaks saw many independent spillover events in multiple locations, and those viruses “exhibited much greater genetic diversity than early SARS-CoV-2 strains.” And within six months of the first known case of SARS, the report says, Chinese health officials found evidence of the virus in palm civets and raccoon dogs.

The interim report also points out that, “almost three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, there is still no evidence of an animal infected with SARS-CoV-2, or a closely related virus, before the first publicly reported human COVID-19 cases in Wuhan in December 2019.”

Worobey said, “Our two recent papers establish that a natural zoonotic origin is the only plausible scenario for the origin of the pandemic.” Before this story ran,

Worobey posted his comments to us, as well as additional ones, on Twitter, so they would not be “ignored or filtered,” and stated he had not been given sufficient time to respond.

While the China CDC found no evidence of the virus in animals in the market, Pekar told Vanity Fair and ProPublica that the removal of animals from the market by the start of 2020 made it difficult to “actually sample the correct animals for SARS-CoV-2.”

The Senate’s interim report is no likelier than the Worobey and Pekar studies to close the book on the origins debate, nor does it attempt to. If anything, it seems destined to escalate the battle just as Republicans in Congress hope to retake the majority in the midterm elections. They aim to haul Dr. Anthony Fauci, the outgoing director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, into Benghazi-style hearings.

The dispute over COVID-19’s origins, fought in the halls of Congress and on the web pages of scientific preprints, has become more toxic and divisive as time has passed. On Twitter, what should be scientific debate has devolved into a mosh pit of poop emojis and middle school insults. It is unclear what is driving the animus, but political advantage, egos, scientific reputations and research dollars all hang in the balance.

“UNDER THE THUMB OF THE PARTY STATE”

In early February 2020, as COVID-19 was spreading beyond China, James LeDuc of the Galveston National Laboratory began fielding calls from journalists asking if SARSCoV-2 could have originated from a lab.

He didn’t think so. Nonetheless, on Feb. 9, he emailed his longtime colleague and mentee at the WIV, Yuan Zhiming. LeDuc encouraged him to “conduct a thorough review of the laboratory activities associated with research on coronaviruses so that you are fully prepared to answer questions dealing with the origin of the virus.” He included a three-page list of “some areas where you may wish to investigate.”

Included in LeDuc’s proposed review were the following questions: “Is there any evidence to suggest a mechanical failure in

biocontainment during the time in question? -were biological safety cabinets used and appropriately certified? -Exhaust air filtration systems working correctly?”

The questions were apt. Two and a half months earlier, according to the interim report, procurement officials at the WIV posted a call for bids on a government website seeking a costly air incinerator. The post was dated Nov. 19, 2019, the very day that the visiting CAS safety official arrived to address a “complex and grave” situation there.

Prior to the wider adoption of HEPA filters in the 1950s, air incinerators were used to “superheat air coming from one place and going to another, in order to render them free of any microbial agent,” said Bob Hawley, the former safety chief at the Army’s Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease. “If somehow the HEPA filter system failed, because there was a tear or breach … then your quick fix would be to bring in an air incinerator.”

LeDuc says he never heard back from Yuan.

Toy Reid, who is now in Jakarta, Indonesia, resuming his work for the State Department, says that WIV scientists are not “free agents” who can candidly share what occurred in their laboratories. “The WIV is under the thumb of the party state,” he says. “Just because you can’t see the political pressures they’re under doesn’t mean they’re not under them. American scientists have been slow to realize that.”

Without the cooperation of China’s government, we can’t know exactly what did or didn’t happen at the WIV, or what precise set of circumstances unleashed SARS-CoV-2. But the dispatches that Reid unearthed, when overlaid with additional evidence the Senate team compiled, point to a catastrophe in the making: political pressure to excel, inadequate resources to safeguard risky work and an effort to skirt blame once a crisis hit.

As Reid sees it, the international community must continue to demand answers. “If you just throw your hands in the air and say, ‘We’ll never know because it’s China,’ and just move on — if you take that defeatist approach to things — you can’t prepare yourself to prevent something like this from happening in the future.” Y

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This month’s feature story about travel to Mexico City highlighted the vibrancy and scale of this enormous and historic city. Local Mexican restaurant owner Emilio Dominguez has business interests and family in the city and recommended the Sofitel, and the tour group was glad he did.

Full disclosure, not much about the hotel reminds you that you are in Mexico. Sofitel is a French company, and French is spoken throughout the property. Still, the selection is excellent, mainly because the location is perfect, the property is elegant, and the staff is world-class.

And the views of the city are breathtaking. From the rooms and the rooftop bar and restaurant, you feel firmly in the middle of this magnificent place.

See the full story on page 92.

For more about Insider Excursions and media travel visit insiderexcursions.com.

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