Washington, D.C

DC officials hold meeting over fallen Garfield Park tree that killed woman

Published

2 years ago

July 16, 2024

DC officials hold meeting over fallen Garfield Park tree that killed woman

WASHINGTON (7News) — On Monday night, D.C. officials held a meeting to discuss their response after a tree fell and killed a woman at Garfield Park last week.

The Urban Forestry Division under the District Department of Transportation cares for the more than 170,000 public trees in the District.

A department official said every tree in Garfield Park has been inspected no fewer than three times since 2016.

The tree that killed 35-year-old Sarah Noah of Southeast D.C. was inspected a couple of times in recent years over public requests for pruning.

READ MORE | Witnesses describe loud noises prior to deadly tree fall in Southeast DC park

One request was in December 2018. Officials said it was inspected that day and pruned four months later.

Another request was made in May 2022. It was inspected that day and pruned two months later.

Inspections showed the tree was listed in good condition with no indication of internal decay.

In fact, in October 2023 the North American Tree Climbing Championships was held in Garfield Park, and that tree was heavily used. Before the competition, experts inspected and assessed the tree and found no issues.

DDOT said this past April an independent consultant reviewed the trees for an upcoming playground renovation and found no issues with this tree.

DDOT did not provide any explanation as to what caused this accident.

READ MORE | Deadly tree branch incident in DC prompts safety assessment

“Even with that tree having fallen apart, there was no single defect or characteristic that made us go, ah, of course. This is, you may have heard me describe this earlier in the week as unforeseeable,” said DDOT Associate Director for Urban Forestry Division Earl Eutsler.

Attendees expressed concerns about the irrigation system at the park and asked whether the North American Tree Climbing Championships contributed to this accident, but Eutsler said those were not connected to this accident.

DDOT has reviewed all 261 trees in the park. 215 are in good or excellent condition. 6 are in poor condition and scheduled to be removed. All those trees are rather small.

The median diameter of the trees at Garfield Park is 14 inches. Very few trees are 45 inches or larger in diameter.

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Related Topics:accident DC DDOT Featured garfield park inspection Pruning tree Urban Forestry Division

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Washington, D.C

North Dakota National Guard Being Sent to D.C.

Published

2 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota National Guard Being Sent to D.C.

(Photo courtesy of North Dakota National Guard. via the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota will send 60 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., starting in April, for an estimated three months to help police the city.

The move is in support of President Donald Trump’s August executive order declaring an emergency in D.C. The president said assistance from states is necessary to address what he described as rampant crime in the nation’s capital.

“Safeguarding the citizens, federal workers and elected leaders in our nation’s capital is a matter of national security, and we appreciate these Soldiers volunteering for this important mission,” Gov. Kelly Armstrong said.

Most of the 60 North Dakota members will come from the 131st Military Police Battalion, based in Bismarck, according to the announcement.

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Washington, D.C

Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

Published

14 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

Thousands turned out at the dozens of No Kings rallies scattered across Maryland, part of the millions expected across the country for the third such event. In Maryland, turnout was particularly heavy in Hagerstown, near a proposed ICE detention facility.

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Washington, D.C

WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC

WASHINGTON – Thousands are expected gather in Washington, D.C. for a “No Kings” march and rally.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What is the No Kings protest?

What we know:

Organized locally by area chapters of Indivisible and allied grassroots groups, the event aims to draw protesters to downtown Washington and surrounding counties to oppose policies of the Trump administration and to voice broader concerns about civil rights and democratic norms.

No Kings protest details

Timeline:

The march will kick off at 10 a.m., with participants gathering at Memorial Circle near Arlington Cemetery, with additional access from the Blue Line or nearby parking at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, according to the event organizers. There is no public parking in the immediate area, but participants can be dropped off at the circle.

From there, the procession will head across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument.

At the conclusion of the march, participants can walk to a downtown rally, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Other ‘No Kings’ rallies in the DMV

Dig deeper:

In addition to the main rally in downtown D.C., several other demonstrations tied to “No Kings 3” are scheduled around the DMV this Saturday.

In Arlington, Virginia, activists are organizing a march across the Memorial Bridge beginning at 10 a.m., with protesters expected to continue into West Potomac Park before joining larger crowds in the District proper, for example.

There are hundreds of “No Kings” events scheduled to take place this Saturday throughout the DMV. You can click here to find a list of all of them.

How to watch No Kings march and rally in DC

What you can do:

FOX 5 DC will be covering No Kings in D.C. all day on FOX LOCAL and in the liveplayer at the top of this story.

FOX 5 DC is available to watch for free on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google Android TV and Vizio with the FOX LOCAL app. Here’s how to download FOX LOCAL on your mobile phone.

Washington, D.C.News

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