Following last week's storms, we had a local woman call us and say she was disappointed the city refused to remove a tree that had fallen and was blocking her driveway.

While she understood it was her property, she felt that the fallen tree constituted an emergency situation since she was unable to leave her home unless she were to drive across her neighbor's yard.

However, City Manager Steve Horton told us the city can't take action on private property unless there is a public interest. Having the government step in on private land is a slippery slope, and we believe the city is justified in avoiding any potential liability issues and not setting a costly precedent.

We appreciate the women taking the time to call and bring up the issue, and we invite every resident to call or email us with their questions or concerns. The Covington News is your paper, and if you ask us a question or bring up an issue, we'll do our best to give you an answer or try to find a solution.

We're sorry the resident had to wait to get help for her problem, but we're glad that neither her car nor home was damaged as that could have led to a true emergency.

If you're fortunate to own property, it is your responsibility to take care of the "acts of God" that occur there. It's one of the many "joys" of homeownership.