Chicago Selects Official 2026 Millennium Park Christmas Tree as Federal Prosecutors Establish Election Day Integrity Hotlines

50-Foot Norway Spruce Harvested for Chicago's 113th Annual Millennium Park Lighting

CHICAGO, Illinois — The City of Chicago officially announced and harvested its centerpiece for the 2026 holiday season on Monday, November 2, selecting a stately 50-foot Norway spruce donated by the Clark family of Campton Hills in Kane County. City arborists and municipal crews coordinated the complex harvesting and transport operation to install the tree at Millennium Park, near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street.

The tree will serve as the crowning visual for Chicago’s 113th annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, scheduled for Friday, November 20. Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) officials noted that the selection process evaluated dozens of regional nominations before choosing the symmetric Campton Hills evergreen to illuminate downtown throughout December.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Activates Northern District of Illinois Election Integrity Hotlines

Ahead of Tuesday's pivotal general election, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois launched comprehensive voter protection hotlines and monitoring protocols across Cook County and surrounding jurisdictions. Federal prosecutors and FBI specialists were assigned to oversee local polling compliance, respond to allegations of voter intimidation, and safeguard ballot access under federal voting rights statutes.

Simultaneously, municipal election boards finalized ballot processing equipment at downtown vote centers, noting that hundreds of thousands of early ballots had already been tabulated under strict bipartisan supervision.

Former Chicago FBI Field Office Head Files Civil Lawsuit in Federal Court

In related legal developments, former FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta filed a wrongful termination complaint against the U.S. Department of Justice in federal court. DePodesta alleged he was improperly removed from his Chicago leadership post following policy disagreements concerning protest prosecutions, seeking administrative relief and record corrections.

On the athletic front, the Chicago Blackhawks faced the Colorado Avalanche at the United Center, where forward Connor Bedard extended his active point streak to six consecutive games despite a hard-fought 5-2 final outcome.