A tree once grew in East Hampton. A big tree. A “perfectly healthy tree” that was likely “a couple of lifetimes” old, according to Dave Collins, the East Hampton Village superintendent of public works. Then, a homeowner decided it needed to go and in a spasm of governmental efficiency, it was promptly removed by the state. The tree seems to have fallen victim to a cross-jurisdictional communication gap.

The East Hampton Town Board, after debating the merits of a handful of formulas to rein in house size, settled on a compromise to take to the public in a hearing on March 6: capping houses’ gross floor area to 7 percent of their lot area plus 1,500 square feet.

This weekend, as bad weather blows across the East End and you’re staring out the window, why not count the birds that you see at your feeder for the Great Backyard Bird Count?

Thomas Gardella has announced his intention to seek a second two-year term as Sag Harbor Village mayor, citing in particular his contributions to environmental work.

The Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee voted unanimously to write a letter to the East Hampton Town Board calling for the historic preservation of the entire 30-acre property at 66 Main Street, which the town purchased for $56 million last year with community preservation money.

The Southampton Town Kiwanis Club honored police officers from both East Hampton Town and Village at an awards dinner on Jan. 31, with Nicole Fierro winning Officer of the Year for the town.

East Hampton School District voters could see a ballot referendum in May for capital projects that would create an independent science lab at the high school and a revitalized playground at the John M. Marshall Elementary School.

In anticipation of the bond vote needed for the Montauk School’s planned renovation, Joshua Odom, the district superintendent and principal, has begun meeting with community organizations and parents to talk about the need for the project.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church has invited people from all faiths to a presentation on Wednesday by Minerva Perez, the executive director of Organizacion Latino-Americana.

In this photo, East Hampton firefighters are pictured at Guild Hall, assessing the damage before pumping water out of the John Drew Theater and its orchestra pit.

Springs School is kicking off the midway point of the year with two new fund-raisers. Amanda Pond’s class initiated the bagel fund-raiser and the PTA is having its Valentine’s Day candy-gram fund-raiser.

Collapsing sections of roadway, an exploding propane tank: Back in 2000 it was the bridge reconstruction follies in Sag Harbor. And more ripped from our past coverage.

Special events for kids this week incude a “Moana” movie night and sing-along at the Children’s Museum of the East End, a salamander search with the South Fork Natural History Museum, and three free walks with museum educators during the school break week.

A Sag Harbor woman reported a stranger in her backyard early Sunday morning. Police concluded that undisturbed snow on the ground suggested that nobody had entered her property. She then told the officer, “Maybe I didn’t see anyone, I just thought I did.” 

Two drivers lost control on the ice, while an East Hampton man was taken to the hospital after his sedan was rear-ended by a van.

The East Hampton Village Board targeted false fire-alarm scofflaws at a work session last week, raising the penalty for causing firefighters or village police to mobilize needlessly.

Audrey Raebeck, an educator with a specialty in early childhood reading and a founder of the Group the East End, died on Jan. 31. She was 93.

Ray Hartjen, the driving force behind the creation of the Hartjen-Richardson Community Boat Shop in Amagansett, died at home in Springs on Jan. 31. He was 93.

Vernice Mae Fordham North of Noyac, whose family goes back 11 generations on the South Fork, died on Feb. 5 at the age of 98.

Jessica Fitzpatrick, an educational consultant who focused on family literacy, died at home in Calverton on Feb. 6. Formerly of East Hampton, she was 77.