Herald Staff Report

HOPATCONG Police on Friday identified the borough man who was killed when a tree fell on his home Thursday afternoon as Frederick Dalton, 74.

Dalton was killed when a tree fell through his house at 102 Maxim Drive at 3:17 p.m., pinning him beneath the tree and roof debris, police said.

Officers Nick Maresca and Dave Schultz, Sgt. Joseph Magrini, Lt. Thomas Kmetz, Detective William Sutphen and Detective Sgt. Michael Houtz responded to the report of the tree falling on the house, possibly trapping the homeowner inside.

When the officers arrived, they called to the homeowner but did not get a response.

According to police, Maresca and Magrini used a ladder and crawled through a back upstairs window looking for the homeowner. When they entered the home they found that debris from the roof had collapsed on a kerosene heater in the upstairs living room, causing a fire. Maresca used his patrol car fire extinguisher to put the fire out, police said.

Magrini inhaled the smoke and chemicals from the fire extinguisher and was able to exit the home but became sick and was taken to St. Clares Hospital in Dover for treatment.

As patrols were looking for the homeowner, they located two dogs that were not harmed. The officers got the dogs out of the house and handed them over to the next-door neighbor. Officers then located the victim in a recliner in the upstairs living room with the tree and roof on top of him, police said.

Magrini and Maresca found Dalton pinned entirely beneath the tree except for his legs, Kmetz said Thursday. As it was impossible to remove him due to the size of the tree, a tree-cutting crew had to respond to assist with removing Dalton from the home.

The nearly 80-foot oak tree, which uprooted from a rocky area, cleaved through both floors of the home. It also fell on the house next door, damaging the roof.

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Hopatcong Police identify man killed by tree that fell on his home.

By Lori Carter, Santa Rosa Press Democrat

A rare chimeric coast redwood in Cotati will be spared the ax, at least for now, after Sonoma-Marin rail officials bowed to public opposition and suspended the planned removal of the tree to make way for train tracks.

Tom Stapleton, a former Sonoma County arborist who now works in Amador County, raised concerns about the loss of the unusual tree which could be one of only a handful of coast redwoods known to be in existence that exhibit both albino and normal foliage on the same branches.

SMART had scheduled the tree for removal, possibly within the month, saying its location violates Federal Railroad Administration regulations governing the safe operation of its planned commuter train.

Stapleton's concerns, first reported this week in the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, went national drawing calls from news media across the country, along with offers to help from other arborists and ordinary tree lovers.

Supporters of the effort also started a Cotati Redwood Facebook page.

On Thursday afternoon, Farhad Mansourian, SMART's general manager, said he had suspended the removal plans.

"I wanted to pause and make sure we do the right thing for the community and the environment," Mansourian said. "We are a big part of the community and we have extreme care with our environment, and we want to make sure we do the right thing.

"Everything comes to a halt with this tree removal until we bring in additional experts."

People behind the effort to save the tree welcomed the move.

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SMART halts plans to chop down rare Sonoma redwood

A Cumberland County man says hes frustrated after a tree on Norfolk Southerns property fell on his house last month, as the company is refusing to help pay for the costs of the damage and tree removal.

Michael Eby said hed been concerned about the trees that are few feet from his house and had asked the railway company to remove them.

These large trees here that are overhanging this cliff. And, some are looking somewhat rotted too, that they could just fall at any moment if we get one of these large snowstorms, said Eby.

On Feb. 5, Eby said he got a call from the tenant living in the home he owns on Market Street in Wormleysburg. A tree had fallen on the roof, causing an electrical wire to fall.

Emergency crews actually made her come out the front door, but made her crawl down backwards down the stairs under the live wire, said Eby.

The tenant was fine. So, soon after, Eby said he contacted Norfolk Southern to see what the company would do about removing the tree and helping him to pay for the damage.

Eby said a claims adjuster told him, Theyre going to deny the claim because it was weather-related. And, they consider it unforeseen, and they dont have any legal liability.

Norfolk Southern spokesman David Pidgeon declined to comment to FOX43, saying the company doesnt discuss individual claims.

Eby reached out to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Jennifer Kocher, a spokeswoman for the commission, said her agency cant force Norfolk Southern to do anything, as the none of the trees near Ebys home are impacting the safety of the rail line itself.

The rest is here:
Homeowner frustrated by rail companys response to fallen tree

A rare chimeric coast redwood in Cotati will be spared the ax, at least for now, after Sonoma-Marin rail officials bowed to public opposition Thursday and suspended the planned removal of the tree to make way for train tracks.

Tom Stapleton, a former Sonoma County arborist who now works in Amador County, raised concerns about the loss of the unusual tree which could be one of only a handful of coast redwoods known to be in existence that exhibit both albino and normal foliage on the same branches.

SMART had scheduled the tree for removal, possibly within the month, saying its location violates Federal Railroad Administration regulations governing the safe operation of its planned commuter train.

Stapleton's concerns, outlined Wednesday in a Press Democrat story, went national drawing calls from news media across the country, along with offers to help from other arborists and ordinary tree lovers.

Supporters of the effort also started a Cotati Redwood Facebook page.

On Thursday afternoon, Farhad Mansourian, SMART's general manager, said he had suspended the removal plans.

I wanted to pause and make sure we do the right thing for the community and the environment, Mansourian said. We are a big part of the community and we have extreme care with our environment, and we want to make sure we do the right thing.

Everything comes to a halt with this tree removal until we bring in additional experts.

People behind the effort to save the tree welcomed the move.

Hurray! That's the first step. That's fantastic, said Cotati historian Prue Draper. She and others recently raised the alarm that SMART's initial decision two years ago to leave the tree had changed with the addition of a second, side track at the Cotati station.

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SMART halts plans to chop rare Cotati tree

Some students and teachers from Richmonds Fairfield Court Elementary School will be bused to another school for at least two weeks so school officials can make emergency repairs to the East End school.

The buildings roof has long leaked, but a repair scheduled for spring break had to be moved up after a student was hit by a falling ceiling tile during an after-school program this week.

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Fairfield repairs planned after ceiling tile hits student

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The Conroe City Council gave itself, and a business owner, two weeks to work out a solution over the companys request for an exception to a city ordinance that requires water sprinkler system installed for buildings greater than 10,000 square feet.

Conroe Golf Cars came before the City Hall during the Council workshop session Wednesday, asking that it receive a variance on an 18,000 square foot building. that owner John Sebastian said will be used only for storage.

He told Council members that the building doesnt contain any chemicals, or electrical devices. However, Conroe Fire Chief Ken Kreger said his experience as a firefighter means theres no building thats not susceptible to fire.

Although he wasnt on the City Council back then, Mayor Pro-Tem Guy Martin said he recalls the variances on a water sprinkle system was issued by the City.

Mayor Webb Melder, with the councils blessing, asked Kreger to meet with Sebastian before the next council meeting and find a solution.

Resolution: The council unanimously passed a resolution granting the Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association (IAFF Local 2731) as the exclusive bargaining agent for the city of Conroe firefighters, and authorizing representatives of the Association and the City to meet and confer.

Review: The City Council will approve a committee to review the citys Mobile Home ordinance and mark recommended changes as warranted.

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City, business have 2 weeks to find sprinkler accord

The Conroe City Council gave itself, and a business owner, two weeks to work out a solution over the companys request for an exception to a city ordinance that requires water sprinkler system installed for buildings greater than 10,000 square feet.

Conroe Golf Cars came before the City Hall during the Council workshop session Wednesday, asking that it receive a variance on an 18,000 square foot building. that owner John Sebastian said will be used only for storage.

He told Council members that the building doesnt contain any chemicals, or electrical devices. However, Conroe Fire Chief Ken Kreger said his experience as a firefighter means theres no building thats not susceptible to fire.

Although he wasnt on the City Council back then, Mayor Pro-Tem Guy Martin said he recalls the variances on a water sprinkle system was issued by the City.

Mayor Webb Melder, with the councils blessing, asked Kreger to meet with Sebastian before the next council meeting and find a solution.

Resolution: The council unanimously passed a resolution granting the Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association (IAFF Local 2731) as the exclusive bargaining agent for the city of Conroe firefighters, and authorizing representatives of the Association and the City to meet and confer.

Review: The City Council will approve a committee to review the citys Mobile Home ordinance and mark recommended changes as warranted.

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2 weeks to find sprinkler accord