DC DOOM! Man Dies After Tree Falls On Him Near Capitol Building

FIRST CHERRY TREE BLOSSOMS KILLED BY COLD

Cold Weather Kills Many Cherry Blossom Blooms in DC 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cold weather has killed half of the blossoms on Washington's famous cherry trees just as they were reaching peak bloom, park service officials said Friday. The blooming of the trees is a big tourist draw and is closely watched as a sign of spring in the nation's capital — so much so that National Park Service officials held a news conference Friday to discuss the weather's impact. Gay Vietzke, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said there will still be a "brilliant display of the white and pink blooms," and that the Yoshino cherry trees will be just as "spectacular as ever." That said, visitors who come every year will notice a slight difference after the "wild weather roller coaster" of the past few weeks, which delivered snow after several warm days, Vietzke said. "We do anticipate that there will be some fewer blossoms than normal and the color, therefore, may not be quite as dense as we've seen in past years around the Tidal Basin," Vietzke said, describing the area where the Yoshino cherry trees are clustered. Source

NOW THE DEATH BY FALLING TREE

Man dies after tree falls on him near Capitol building

WASHINGTON — An Architect of the Capitol employee has died after part of a large tree fell on him near the grounds of the Capitol building Tuesday morning. Around 9:15 a.m., a large branch of an American Elm fell onto Matthew McClanahan, a pipefitter for the Architect of the Capitol, at the corner of Independence Avenue and First Street in Southeast. McClanahan was extracted from beneath the tree and taken to the hospital in “extremely critical” condition, officials said. He later died, said a spokesperson for the Architect of the Capitol.McClanahan was working on an irrigation pipe at the time the branch fell on him. The Architect of the Capitol is an agency that preserves and maintains landmark buildings and grounds of Capitol Hill. Independence Avenue between First Street Southeast and Washington Avenue Southwest was closed for most of Tuesday. “Matt was a talented, dedicated pipefitter in the Maintenance Division of Capitol Grounds. Please keep his family, friends and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” Architect of the Capitol said in a statement. WTOP>>>>>>>