Free Republic

Chelsea Clinton thanked first lady Melania Trump for preserving part of a damaged magnolia tree planted by former President Andrew Jackson. “Thank you to all the Chief Horticulturists and everyone from the National Park Service who have taken care of the beautiful grounds of the @WhiteHouse over the years,” tweeted Clinton, who grew up in the White House during her father Bill Clinton's two terms in office. “Thank you @FLOTUS for preserving part of a tree I & so many have treasured.”

The south facade of the White House will undergo a dramatic change this week: the historic Jackson Magnolia, a tree that has been in place since the 1800s, is scheduled to be cut down and removed. The enormous magnolia, one of three on the west side of the White House and the oldest on the White House grounds, extends from the ground floor, up past the front of the windows of the State Dining Room on the first floor and beyond the second-level executive residence. The tree has had a long and storied life, yet has now been deemed too...

The historic Jackson magnolia has been on the south facade of the White House since the 1800s—making it the oldest on the grounds. But Tuesday, Melania Trump reportedly made the decision to have it removed after tree specialists determined “the overall architecture and structure of the tree is greatly compromised.”

A former Atlanta arborist who filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against the city after being fired from his job has reached a settlement before trial, one his lawyers said Wednesday. Under terms of the settlement, the city, which does not admit liability in the case, will pay 67-year-old Thomas Coffin $165,000 in damages and fees, Atlanta attorney Gerry Weber said. As part of the settlement, Fulton County Superior Court Judge John Goger signed a consent order to allow the city to fully vest Coffin's pension rights. Coffin was hired by the city in 2000 and elevated to the position of senior...