METAIRIE • KENNER • HARAHAN • JEFFERSON • ELMWOOD • RIVER RIDGE
Celebrate
KING’S DAY!
EAST JEFFERSON
USDA Prime Strip Steaks
Medium Plain King Cake
$13.99 $17.99 www.robertfreshmarket.com lb. See our full ad inside.
N O L A.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, D e c e m b e r 31, 2025
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MERRY MARSHES
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Make sure your pup has plenty of safe spaces before the fireworks start.
The best New Year’s Eve for pets is a quiet night at home Seven ways to make NYE peaceful for pets
Long before we count down to midnight and welcome the New Year, the celebrations are already starting. While fireworks are exciting for people, they can be overwhelming and frightening for pets. The loud booms, sudden cracks and bright flashes can cause panic and tempt even the calmest aniTraci mals to bolt in fear. Howerton New Year’s Eve ANIMAL consistently ranks RESCUE as one of the busiest times of year for lost pets. Frightened animals don’t think rationally — they simply react. Dogs may jump fences, push through doors or dig under gates in a desperate attempt to escape the noise. Cats may also slip out unnoticed, hiding under a house or car near home. Even pets that usually handle thunderstorms or loud environments with ease can react differently to fireworks. The unpredictability and intensity of the sounds can heighten anxiety and stress. Signs your pet may be struggling with fireworks include: n Heavy panting or drooling n Trembling or shaking n Pacing or restlessness n Hiding or clinging to family members n Excessive barking or whining n Attempts to escape n Loss of appetite
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
Crews move bundles of Christmas trees in the Madere Marsh in the Bayou Sauvage Urban National Refuge in 2024. The city’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, dropped about 8,000 trees.
Christmas tree recycling programs aim to shore up area shorelines BY EVA JACOB BARKOFF Contributing writer
The holidays are ending, and many residents may be ready to take down their Christmas trees. Once the ornaments and lights are packed away for next year and the strands of tinsel have lost their shine, consider recycling your tree. Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Bernard parishes all are participating in the annual Christmas Tree recycling program to help stabilize the state’s shorelines and marsh areas. “Christmas tree recycling keeps them out of the landfills,” said Kristi Trail, the executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy. “To really save our coast, we need large-scale projects such as river diversions that will be sustainable for the long term.” Here is the list of pickup days and times parishes by parish and some ad-
ä See PET, page 2G
French Quarter and Downtown Develditional information. All the parishes require tinsel, or- opment District residents should place naments and lighting to be removed. their trees before 4 a.m. on Jan. 8. And residents who want their trees colFlocked trees will not be accepted. lected before Jan. 5 to Jan. 9 should call New Orleans 311. Anna Nguyen, external affairs administrator for the city’s Office of Resilience Jefferson Parish and Sustainability, says the city’s ChristTrash collection will be held Jan. 8 to mas tree recycling program is marking Jan. 10, and residents should place their trees curbside on Jan. 7. Trees will be colits 27th year. “In recent years, the average number lected on the same day by River Birch, of trees collected has been about 8,000, which will run two separate routes on but last year, we collected 9,000 trees,” each pickup day. she said. Michelle Gonzales, the director of enThe trees are brought to Recovery One vironmental affairs, said the parish has Landfill, where they are bundled and participated in the program for 36 years then airlifted to Bayou Sauvage by the and that last year, 5,000 trees were colLouisiana National Guard. lected. The pickup schedule is: “The trees will be bought by boat and JAN. 5-9: Trees should be placed on the will be put in cribs, also called open wood curb by 5 a.m. on your regular garbage fencing, and brought offshore in Lafitte pick-up day. A recycling truck will follow ä See TREE, page 2G your regular garbage truck
Sweet entertainment Rooted School
at SUNO recently hosted a holiday party for its students and staff featuring cookie decorating, a gingerbread house competition and a
Detail work on a gingerbread can get a little messy.
community sing-along. The school also partnered with the Rickey Jackson Foundation to collect nonperishable food items at the party to support STAFF PHOTOS BY ENAN CHEDIAK
Khloe Cola and Kymari Scott work together on a gingerbread house.
Darling Toledo concentrates on her gingerbread-house skills.
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