Christmas tree pickup starts Monday    

[DEC. 31, 2004]  The Lincoln streets department will be picking up Christmas trees starting Monday (Jan. 3). Trees must be at the curbside by 7 a.m.

"Once the department crew passes by, we will not return," Superintendent Tracy Jackson said.

The crew will not pick up trees in bags; trees with lights, ornaments, stands; and nothing with wire in it, like wreaths.

[LDN]

Life Sentence, No Parole

If we tried to invent the cruelest punishment for dogs, we probably couldn't come up with anything worse than "solitary confinement" on a chain or in a kennel.

Dogs are pack animals who crave the companionship of others.  Scratches behind the ears, games of fetch, or even just walks around the block mean the world to them.  Curling up at your feet while you watch TV is their idea of heaven.

Many dogs left to fend for themselves at the end of a chain fall prey to attacks by other animals or cruel people, and many others are injured or hanged or choke as a result of getting entangled or caught in their tether.

If you have a backyard dog, please, bring him or her inside.  They don't want much--just you.

A public service announcement from Lincoln Daily News and helpinganimals.com