Trees

NEWPORT BEACH - Chase Valentine, 3, wanted something for Christmas that's little difficult to come by in Orange County: snow. "It was so cool. On the way over here he said, 'Mom, the twee is so big,'" said Chase's mom, Tiffany Valentine, while nestled on a blanket with the shy tyke at Fashion Island's annual tree-lighting ceremony Friday night. The Valentines from Newport Beach showed up at 4 p.m. to grab prime real estate in front of the stage where students from Laguna Beach's Musical Theatre University performed alongside Mickey, Minnie and Goofy from the Disneyland Resort.

City employees who live in town can better understand its residents' problems. While that was the reason for paying half of City Manager Dave Kiff's home, council members probably weren't envisioning a situation he now faces. Kiff lives next to a row of eucalyptus trees that an arborist has determined may need to be removed, and his neighbors are preparing to fight that decision. This leaves him in the awkward spot as the ultimate decision-maker for removing the trees. Instead, he has elected to step aside and let other staff members make the call.

Few figures in America ever hold serious political power for half a century. Senators Strom Thurmond and Robert Byrd, as well as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, are among the few who did. But no one held as much power as J. Edgar Hoover did as head of the FBI for 48 years from 1924 to 1972. Clint Eastwood directs "J. Edgar" in old fashioned Hollywood style. Leonardo DiCaprio gives an Oscar worthy performance as the complex and enigmatic icon. Naomi Watts as his secretary, Armie Hammer as his longtime male companion and Judi Dench as his overbearing mother are all excellent.

NEWPORT BEACH — Arborists saw no signs of disease in a city-maintained tree before it fell and killed a motorist in September, the city's top administrator said Tuesday. The statement comes as newly released records show that many of the other city-maintained blue gum eucalyptus trees are infected by sulfur fungus, which causes root rot and the eventual collapse of trees. "On the tree that fell, there were no external signs of disease — no fungus, no conks, no fruiting bodies, no lifting of the roots, no visible signs of trouble in the leaves, roots or on the trunk," City Manager Dave Kiff wrote in an email.

I would like to warn readers not to put cruelty on their shopping lists this year. The holidays are a busy season for puppy sales and people need to know that when they buy puppies over the Internet, through newspaper ads, or at pet stores, they are often unknowingly supporting a puppy mill. Puppy mills are inhumane breeding facilities that produce puppies in large numbers. They are designed to maximize profits and commonly disregard the physical, social and emotional health of the dogs.

The father of a woman who died in September from a falling tree has tapped a Beverly Hills law firm to represent her family ahead of possible litigation, an attorney from the firm confirmed Thursday. Sunyl Chung, father of Haeyoon Miller, 29, hired the law offices of Richard D. Hoffman, Daniel Boasberg said. Boasberg did not discuss the legal avenues the firm is exploring, but the law requires that the family must first file a claim for damages with Newport Beach, which was maintaining the tree under an agreement with Costa Mesa, before it could pursue a lawsuit.

NEWPORT BEACH — Before one of them came toppling down and killed a motorist in September, the city's tree-trimming contractor knew that some eucalyptus trees on Irvine Avenue were infested by beetles and termites, public records released Monday show. Still, West Coast Arborists determined that the fatal tree was safe to stand, according to the contractor's records. However, it was unclear from the records if the fallen tree along the Newport Beach-Costa Mesa border was infested by the insects or just standing among other infected trees.

NEWPORT BEACH - Standing in the rain with his arms crossed against his chest and face hidden under his jacket's hood, Bernard Hamilton stared with rapt attention as contractors at Fashion Island lowered this year's Christmas tree into place. "It's an amazing thing for the local people here," Hamilton, an employee at the concierge desk, said without breaking his concentration on the massive white fir. "It brings something great for the community. " Any other year, there would be plenty of people standing with Hamilton early Friday to watch crews in hard hats work with a crane operator to gently lift, swing and drop the 90-foot tree into place.

In a move to preserve some of the city's many eucalyptus, the Newport Beach Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission voted this week against felling 18 trees along Holiday Road. The 4-3 vote Tuesday blocked a city arborist's recommendation to remove the trees, which he deemed dangerous. About 140 other eucalyptus trees have been cut down using emergency declarations. The normal tree-removal process requires a commission vote, but officials instituted the emergency response after a blue gum eucalyptus fell and killed a motorist Sept.

Newport Beach officials have declined to release the results of an investigation into the tree that fell and killed motorist Haeyoon Miller in September. While the blue gum eucalyptus tree on Irvine Avenue straddled the Newport Beach-Costa Mesa border, Newport was responsible for the tree's maintenance. Newport city officials hired an arborist to investigate the accident, in addition to separate analyses by staff members and tree maintenance contractors. The Daily Pilot filed a request for the report under the California Public Records Act. The request was formally declined Friday.