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A major violation of Gainesville's tree ordinance restricting the removal of heritage oaks without a permit has occurred at 3536 Archer Road where several oak trees were cut down by an Ocala tree business hired to make room for parking at Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q, shown Monday, January 13, 2014 in Gainesville.

An area restaurant faces a fine of nearly $71,000 for the first significant violation of Gainesville's tougher tree ordinance.

The Sonny's BBQ on Archer Road ran afoul of the city's tree protection regulations in November when live oaks were removed from an undeveloped, treed area between Archer Road and the restaurant's parking lot.

Looking for better visibility from the roadway to stay competitive with other restaurants along Archer, Sonny's ownership obtained a permit to remove a double-trunk sweetgum tree and underbrush, Linda Demetropoulos, the city's nature operations and cultural affairs division manager, said at the December Tree Advisory Board meeting.

But an Ocala company hired by Sonny's also removed three protected live oaks and cut down trees and cleared land outside the permitted area and within a buffer in place to protect adjacent wetlands, according to a code enforcement violation. Today, stumps are all that remain of the live oaks.

Measured at a point 4 feet off the ground, the three live oaks had diameters of 22, 27 and 29 inches. As native trees with a diameter of 20 inches or more, the live oaks were protected heritage trees under the stricter ordinance Gainesville city commissioners approved in June 2013.

Under the old ordinance, the removal of those trees would have required replacement on an inch-for-inch basis.

For the unpermitted removal of heritage trees, the new ordinance says the combined diameter of the trees planted as mitigation must be twice the total diameter of the trees removed.

The new ordinance also includes a cash penalty calculated by a formula that takes into account the trees' trunk area in square inches. When a heritage tree is removed without a permit, that penalty is doubled.

For the tree removal at the Archer Road restaurant, Sonny's Franchise Co. out of Winter Park now faces a $70,945 fine and a land restoration requirement that includes replanting nursery-grown live oak trees.

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Archer Road Sonny's faces $71K fine for cutting trees

ABC Council contractors cut down Morton Bay Fig in Hindmarsh Square after last ditch attempt to save it failed.

Contractors have cut down a 140-year-old Moreton Bay Fig tree in Hindmarsh Square the morning after a decision was made to remove it.

The Adelaide City Council voted in December to remove the tree on the corner of Pulteney and Grenfell Streets after advice that it was a danger to the public.

An arborist's report found the tree was cracking at the base and there was a likelihood of fungal decay in the root system.

The area was cordoned off and a special meeting was held last night after last ditch attempts were made to save the tree.

The council's infrastructure manager Neil Brown says ordered council contractors to cut it down hours after councillors voted not to reverse their earlier decision.

"Our teams have been monitoring the tree since 2012 almost on a daily basis to manage a crack that's been moving in the lower region of that tree," he said.

"Everybody in the council administration is sad to put forward any tree for removal.

"From a public safety and risk perspective, the tree was a significant danger to the public and it had already been in an environment where it had stayed up beyond what we would have deemed safe based on the report we've received."

Mr Brown said the tree had originally been scheduled for removal on January 5.

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140-year-old Moreton Bay Fig cut down in Hindmarsh Square hours after special council meeting

Flooding at USD 262 district office
From Jan. 8, the second time in just more than a week that the Valley Center school district office flooded. Both times, the flooding was causes by a failed ...

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4 Hosta Street, Brampton - Listed By The Case Feenstra Team
This spectacular four bedroom, 4 1/2 bath home has been upgraded from top to bottom. This home features a two storey foyer, formal living room and dining roo...

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Mom sheds a few tears for her Birthday Gift (car)
My Wife and I bought my Mother a car for her birthday. She has been posting about her car on Facebook and having numerous problems so we surprised her with a new one and her reaction was priceless!

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Mom sheds a few tears for her Birthday Gift (car) - Video

Garden Sheds Chicago IL 60617 | 877-689-0730 Call Now! | Storage Sheds Outlet
For more on Garden Sheds visit- http://www.storageshedsoutlet.com or Call- 1-877-689-0730 Storage Sheds Outlet, leading providers of top quality outdoor storage sheds now offers world-class...

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Garden Sheds Chicago IL 60617 | 877-689-0730 Call Now! | Storage Sheds Outlet - Video

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. ( HST ) disclosed the sale of a large stake in a Philadelphia hotel. The move comes as this hotel real estate investment trust (REIT) continues to lower its exposure to non-core assets.

In particular, Host Hotels offloaded an 89% stake in the entity, which owns the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. The sale took place based on a gross entity value of $303.4 million. An 11% stake is, however, retained by Host Hotels in the joint venture along with Clearview and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management L.P.

As a matter of fact, for Host Hotels the West Coast market remains attractive with strong lodging demand and lower supply. But an expected rise in supply in the East Coast in the upcoming year is a matter of concern.

Moreover, in the East Coast, the company experienced declines in group demand in Philadelphia and Washington, DC in the most recently reported quarter. Hence, the shedding of this stake is a strategic one for this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock.

Host Hotels is well on track to improve its overall portfolio through the execution of its strategic capital recycling program. The company is focusing on strengthening its position in vibrant markets globally and reducing exposure to non-target markets.

In recent times, the company disclosed the vending of the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum for $55.7 million as well as the $62 million divestiture of the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta and the associated office space. Notably, the current sale leads to total dispositions of approximately $1.1 billion since the start of 2012.

Encouragingly, recently Host Hotels hiked its quarterly cash dividend by 8.3% sequentially to 13 cents per share, reflecting the12th consecutive quarterly dividend increase. The increased dividend will be paid on Jan 15, 2014 to shareholders of record as of Dec 31, 2013. Notably, the company's history of increasing its quarterly dividend reflects its long-term strategy to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to shareholders.

Investors interested in the REIT Equity Trust - Other industry may also consider stocks like Getty Realty Corp. ( GTY ), National Health Investors Inc. ( NHI ) and Pebblebrook Hotel Trust ( PEB ). All these carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Host Hotels Sheds Philadelphia Asset - Analyst Blog

Last updated at 15:16, Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Householders have been urged to check sheds and outbuildings for a missing man.

Allan Atkinson

Police are increasingly concerned for the safety of Allan Atkinson, of Carlisle, who was last seen on Tuesday afternoon last week.

Hotels across the county have already been asked to check if he is staying with them.

And now police are appealing for people in Carlisle to carry out a search as well.

Sgt Ian Woods said: "We are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of Mr Atkinson.

"We're asking for people to check outbuildings, sheds and garages in the Carlisle area to see if there is any recent sign of activity.

His wife and brother are worried about him and are hoping that he will make contact to let his family and friends know that he is safe and well.

Mr Atkinson is described as 5ft 10in tall, of medium build with a ruddy complexion and short, light-brown hair.

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Check sheds and garages for missing Carlisle man, urge police

Exclusive video obtained by CBS News sheds light on the mystery of why a fire truck ran over a teenager who had escaped alive from the wreckage of an Asiana Airlines crash.

Part of the video, CBS reported, came from a camera on a firefighters helmet and was given to CBS a source close to the family of Ye Meng Yuan, 16, who a coroners report says was alive as she lay on the ground amid the chaos of the rescue. Other footage came from a camera on a fire truck.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, stop, stop, stop, a firefighter is heard telling the driver of a fire truck. There's a body right there, right in front of you.

About 15 minutes later, CBS reported, Ye was run over by that truck. Her body was run over again by another truck minutes later, the video showed.

CBS reported One lieutenant told crash investigators she made a three-second visual assessment and thought, That's our first casualty but did not check the girl's vital signs.

Ye and two other people aboard the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 last summer arriving from Seoul to San Francisco died from the crash while 304 people survived. Yes parents have filed a lawsuit against the city, contending the rescuers were badly trained.

Foam sprayed at the plane did partially cover Yes body on the ground, CBS said.

Justin Green, an attorney who represents Yes family, was quoted by CBC as saying, Why weren't the firefighters trained, why weren't the supervisors certified and why hasn't the fire department come clean about what happened?

San Francisco Fire Department Chief Joanne Hayes-White told CBS local affiliate KPIX last month:

Our members that day had difficult decisions to make. One was visualizing someone that appeared to be dead versus going onto the burning plane with reports of people that still needed to be rescued.

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CBS video shows chaos when crash survivor run over