When the Colorado blue spruce that Bill and Deanna Ellingson planted almost 30 years ago in their front yard in Roseville stretched too tall for them to easily string holiday lights around it, they came up with a clever solution:

The future 2025 Union Depot Holiday Tree is currently in the front yard of Bill and Deanna Ellingson of Roseville. (Courtesy of Deanna Ellingson)

“I got a couple of projectors and projected lights up on the tree and the neighbors seemed to really like that,” Bill says.

The neighbors are in for a bigger light show this year for the approximately 40- to 45-foot evergreen: The tree has been chosen as the 2025 Union Depot Holiday Tree.

The neighbors — and everyone else — are invited to attend the annual Holiday Tree Lighting and Movie Night at Union Depot in Lowertown on Saturday, Dec. 6. For those who can’t wait for their holiday cheer, the annual Salvation Army “Tree of Lights” — a digital tree — is being installed in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul ahead of a tree-lighting ceremony on Saturday.

A star is born

The Ellingsons first answered Union Depot’s call for trees in 2024 after reading about it in the Pioneer Press.

That year, their tree was a finalist for the chance to sparkle with thousands of energy-efficient LED lights.

“We didn’t know until they came to look at the tree,” Bill said. “We came in second place.”

This year, they didn’t submit their tree for consideration, but that didn’t matter.

“We came home one day in October and there were a couple of gals walking around the tree again,” Bill said.

The tree fit the required qualifications: It’s an evergreen tree located in Ramsey County, it looks good, it’s tall enough, it’s not going to be too difficult to remove and there is a reason for its removal (besides looking good).

Bill and Deanna Ellingson pose with their daughter, Kelli, and their dog, Cinnamon (Cinny), in 2005 by the Colorado blue spruce in their front yard in Roseville that they are now donating to become the 2025 Union Depot Holiday Tree. (Courtesy of Bill Ellingson)

“They asked us if we still wanted to donate it and we said, ‘Sure, we’re ready,’” Bill said.

While the tree is considered a donation, the Ellingsons will not have to pay for the associated costs of removing it and grinding its stump down (a $5,000+ value).

The tree is scheduled to be cut down on Saturday morning, after which it will be taken directly to the North Plaza of the Union Depot to be installed. Watch for updates on the Union Depot’s social media, including Facebook and Instagram.

Rice Park and red kettles

The installation of the Salvation Army “Tree of Lights” is a much different process, since it’s a digital tree.

After the finishing touches are put in place on Thursday, the 40-foot artificial tree that resembles a Fraser fir will be ready to switch on its thousands of lights for its fourth annual appearance in Rice Park at 109 W. Fourth St. in downtown St. Paul. This year’s tree installation, the Salvation Army says, will again feature a dynamic light program that is synchronized with holiday music and will be updated weekly.

The tree lighting celebration, which will also mark the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Kick-off, is set for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday with St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter and the award-winning vocal group VocalEssence.

Before the tree lighting, popular local DJ Ray Mills, the official DJ of the Minnesota Vikings, will provide music starting at 3:30 p.m. There will also be visits from the St. Paul Police Band drumline and Santa and Mrs. Claus. Free cookies and hot chocolate will be served by The Salvation Army’s disaster services canteens during the event.

If you can’t make it to this free event, there’s plenty of time to catch the sparkle: The tree will remain standing through Jan. 7, which includes the full run of the World Junior Hockey tournament in St. Paul (scheduled from Dec. 26-Jan. 5).

More info at salvationarmyusa.org/usa-central-territory/northern.

This Red Kettle season

The red kettles, part of a familiar fundraising drive at store entrances and street corners around the metro during the holidays, are especially in need of donations this year.

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The need goes beyond the climbing prices for food, gas, utilities and other essentials.

“The annual Red Kettle season is critically important this year,” said Lt. Colonel Randall Polsley, Salvation Army Northern Division commander, in a statement. “Recent reductions in Minnesota assistance programs have flooded our centers with new requests for help. More families are seeking food, rent and utility assistance as a result.”

Funds raised during the Christmas season support food and housing programs throughout the year, the Salvation Army says.

Bell ringers are still needed. Sign up at RegisterToRing.com.

Hub for the Holidays

Deanna and Bill Ellingson, bottom and top right, pose with their daughter and son-in-law, Kelli and Chad Hofmeister, and their grandson, Wesley Hofmeister, in 2022. (Courtesy of Bill Ellingson)

While the mayor will lead the dignitaries at Saturday’s tree lighting, the Ellingsons have a different wish for the Dec. 6 celebration at Union Depot.

“We have a 9-year-old grandson, Wesley, and if it’s at all possible, he would like to turn the tree lights on at Union Depot,” Bill says.

Wesley, we heard this might happen.

The whole family will be in attendance for the tree lighting, including Wesley’s mom and dad, Kelli and Chad. Kelli was in the sixth grade when she and her parents moved into their townhome and planted the tree that grew up right along with her.

Unlike Kelli though, the tree has been starting to cause issues, such as encroaching on the sidewalk.

“It’s a good time to see it go,” Bill says, “but we will miss it. We’ve watched it grow since it was about 5½ feet tall.”

Still, Deanna is looking forward to what’s next.

“It’ll be kind of exciting, watching them cut it down,” she says. Also: “I love fireworks,” she adds.

Yes, the tree-lighting ceremony will include a flourish of fireworks — and more things to do during the Hub for the Holidays at Union Depot, including the return of the European Christmas Market, the North Pole Express, the CPKC Holiday Train and a holiday bake sale.

On Dec. 6, the fun begins inside the Waiting Room at Union Depot, located at 214 E. Fourth St., at 5 p.m. with the reveal of the 2026 St. Paul Winter Carnival Button. There will also be a holiday musical performance by The Mistletones, free hot chocolate, photo ops, craft stations and a lightup giveaway for kids.

At 7 p.m., guests will move outside for the tree lighting ceremony, which includes a sing-a-long and fireworks.

After the tree is lit, the movie night, featuring “Elf,” begins indoors at 7:30 p.m.

Get details on seasonal events at uniondepot.org/holiday.

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While the Union Depot tree will sparkle through the new year, the search for the next and future Union Depot holiday trees is ongoing. This year, the tree was chosen from between 25 and 50 submissions, but Union Depot officials would like more contenders.

“If people have a tree in mind that they think could qualify,” says Amy Struve, Union Depot’s marketing manager, “we would love to hear from them.”

To be considered, email your address and a photo of the tree to info@uniondepot.org or call 651-202-2700. A tree can also be submitted for consideration through Union Depot’s website at uniondepot.org/holiday/holiday-tree/.

To prepare for the opening of the new Lake Elmo and Bayport elementary schools next fall, Stillwater Area Public Schools officials say they plan to change attendance boundaries “to balance enrollment across the district’s southern schools and make room for future growth.”

The district is considering three scenarios. One would affect 135 students, and the other two would affect 39 students each, said Carissa Keister, the district’s chief of staff and director of communications.

To the extent possible, each elementary school will have a minimum enrollment of 400 students, Keister said. “It’s just better programmatically when we have at least 400,” she said. “We can have full-time staff for our specialists, and three sections of each grade level. It’s just more efficient.”

Much of the district’s growth will be in Lake Elmo, so district officials are purposely building the new 150,000-square-foot elementary school at 10928 10th St. N., “intentionally large,” Keister said.

“We’re actually trying to keep room there knowing that we don’t have growth for next year, but we will have growth in five, six, seven years from now,” she said. “We don’t want to overcrowd it now when we know that the growth is coming.”

An open house on the plan will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at Oak-Land Middle School. Families are invited to come learn about the options and share feedback. District leaders and members of the boundary committee will be in attendance.

Parents and family members also can provide feedback online prior to Dec. 2 at: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/132099563/welcome.

The school board plans to hold a study session on the proposed changes at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Oak Park Learning Center, 6355 Osman Ave. N., in Stillwater.  A final decision is expected Dec. 16.

District officials have put the current Lake Elmo Elementary School up for sale; the asking price is $5 million.

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District officials plan to move into the current Andersen Elementary School building in downtown Bayport next year when the new 98,000-square-foot school – which will be called Bayport Elementary – opens at 1003 Fifth Ave. N., in Bayport.

District officials are currently split between the Oak Park Learning Center and the Central Services Building on Greeley Street; the Central Services Building will be put up for sale, Keister said.

“That would allow all of our central services staff to be together,” she said. “We’re kind of divided up between two buildings right now.”

The Oak Park Learning Center will continue to be used for the district’s Alternative Learning Center, the district’s Transition program, professional development and other meetings. In the future, it could be used for some daytime community-education programming, Keister said.

By SOPHIA TAREEN

CHICAGO (AP) — Hundreds of people who have been arrested and detained in the Chicago area during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown could soon be released on bond while they await immigration hearings, a federal judge signaled Wednesday.

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During a hearing in Chicago, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings said he would order the full release of 13 detained individuals based on a 2022 consent decree outlining how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can make so-called warrantless arrests.

He also gave government attorneys a Friday deadline to comb through a list of 615 people detained at county jails and federal facilities nationwide to see if they qualify for alternatives to detention under the decree, such as using an ankle monitor, while their immigration cases proceed. The judge said he’d issue an order for their release next week, and in the meantime would temporarily pause any deportation proceedings for people who might qualify for bond under the decree.

Attorneys for the detainees hailed Cummings’ move as a win and said they plan to bring more cases.

“All of the tactics of ICE have been unlawful in the vast majority of arrests,” said Mark Fleming, a lawyer with the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center.

Attorneys said they were racing against the clock, as many of the more than 3,300 people suspected of immigration violations who have been arrested in Chicago and its suburbs since “Operation Midway Blitz” began in September have already been deported or left of their own accord.

“We’re concerned they have no access to counsel and no understanding of what their situation is,” Fleming told the judge.

Will Weiland, a Justice Department attorney, told Cummings that at least 12 people on the list of 615 were “high risk” and shouldn’t be released into communities.

“Nothing has been easy with this case your honor,” he said.

Protesters gather outside an ICE processing facility in Broadview, Ill. a suburb of Chicago, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Cummings previously determined that ICE had violated the consent decree which, among other things, requires the agency to show documentation for each arrest it makes for people besides those being specifically targeted in an operation.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Cummings listed instances since the crackdown started in which immigration agents have arrested people while they were at work, out walking or pulling through the drive-thru lane at a fast-food restaurant.

“It also seems highly unlikely to me that any of these foreign nationals … fall into the category of what ICE has called the ‘worst of the worst,’” he said.

The Trump administration has touted its federal intervention efforts as effective at fighting crime and applauded agents’ aggressive tactics that have been challenged in court. But leaders in Illinois say violent crime had already been trending downward in the Chicago area and that federal agents only inflamed tensions.

While the consent decree covers arrests by ICE, it doesn’t include U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which has been behind the most controversial tactics used during the immigration operation, including the liberal use of chemical agents.

A police guards the designated protest area as protesters gather outside an ICE processing facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, Ill., Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both agencies, hasn’t offered details about its arrests, only highlighting a handful of people living in the country without legal permission who also had criminal histories.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin deemed Cummings an “activist judge,” a common Trump administration label for judges who’ve down struck parts of the Republican’s agenda.

In a Wednesday statement, McLaughlin claimed that an order to release the detainees put “the lives of Americans directly at risk.”

The consent decree, which expired earlier this year, was extended until February. Although its policy on ICE’s warrantless arrests applies nationwide, remedies for individual cases have been focused in six states covered by the ICE field office in Chicago, where the original lawsuit over immigration sweeps was filed. Those states are Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Public transit riders can expect to see more uniformed officers and agents on light rail systems and stations this winter.

“Nothing is more important to us than providing a consistently safe, clean and welcoming experience on transit,” Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras said during a press conference. “Our customers have told us they feel safer when we are highly visible, so we are working hard to coordinate and expand all our layers of official presence this winter and beyond.”

In an effort to promote safety on public transit systems in the Twin Cities, Metro Transit announced Wednesday that there will be an increase in Metro Transit police officers, agents and staff presence on rides during peak travel times and toward the end of operational hours. The effort is a part of the agency’s Safety and Security Action Plan.

“Our message is clear,” Interim Metro Transit Police Chief Joe Dotseth said during the conference. “Crime will not be tolerated on Metro Transit, and those who commit crimes will be held accountable. But we also recognize some people in our system need help, not handcuffs.”

Reducing crime and providing resources

Earlier this year, officers implemented a new initiative, Safe and Strong University Avenue, which involved coordination between law enforcement, service providers and prosecutors aimed at reducing crime and providing resources, including addiction treatment and housing services to those in need. Dotseth said the Safe and Strong model has become a part of the department’s normal practice in their approach to public safety.

“Our officers want to get people the help they need,” Dotseth said.

Dotseth referred to the partnership initiative between Metro Transit police officers and Community Service Officers, Transit Riders Investment Program (TRIP) Agents, and supplemental security officers as a multi-layered approach.

Officers are expected to not only increase their visible presence on rides, but also show an increase in proactive enforcement, Dotseth said. Community Service Officers, TRIP Agents and outreach workers are tasked with educating riders on codes of conduct, providing people with support services, are available to answer riders’ questions and are trained in de-escalation tactics to ensure the safety of passengers, according to Dotseth.

“This coordinated approach means we can, we will, and we are improving the rider experience,” Dotseth said.

More officers and staff employed

According to Metro Transit, the agency is at its highest staffing rate since 2021, with a current total of 116 police officers and 26 Community Service Officers, close to 100 TRIP Agents by the end of the year and more than 200 supplemental security officers who “are being trained to provide coverage at high-traffic locations,” according to the agency.

Security officers who “serve as eyes and ears on the system, discouraging behavior like smoking, and contacting police when there is criminal activity,” have been contracted to add to the onboard presence from police officers, Community Service Officers and TRIP Agents, according to Metro Transit. Metro Transit has to have security officers stationed at 15 “busy boarding locations” for up to 24 hours a day, according to the agency.

Security officers are currently at nine locations and will be added on the Green Line’s Snelling Avenue Station and the Blue Line’s Warehouse District and Nicollet Mall stations.

“We’re more visible and present than anytime that I can recall in my 21 years,” Dotseth said during the conference. “With the signs of this progress, we know we still have work to do. The job is not done until every rider feels safe on every trip.”

Metro Transit’s 2025 budget for public safety-related expenses, including the Metro Transit Police Department, Transit Rider Investment Program and supplemental security was close to $74 million. The proposed 2026 budget would increase spending to more than $93 million, according to the agency. The operating budget relies on a mix of funding from the motor vehicle sales tax revenue, federal grants, a regional sales tax, fares and state general funds, according to Metro Transit.

Rider perceptions

Dotseth said that serious crime on public transit is down 21% percent in the Twin Cities and officer-initiated calls for service are up 129% compared to 2024.

“We are making a difference,” Dotseth said. “There is still work to do, but we’re making a difference.”

Kandaras and Dotseth said many riders have already expressed feeling safer with the increased visibility of officers on public transit. Kandaras said the agency conducts an annual customer satisfaction survey and is currently running one for 2025. Based on responses from last year’s survey, Kandaras said riders reported feeling safer than they had before.

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“We’re eagerly awaiting results from the survey out now,” Kandaras said.

Dotseth said that on top of pursuing initiatives to encourage rider safety, Metro Transit’s marketing team is actively trying to find new ways to encourage people to take public transit.

“If people have ideas on what we should do, they should definitely send them to Metro Transit,” Dotseth said.

An additional campaign focused on attracting more police officers to the department will launch this fall, and a program that provides Community Service Officers with tuition assistance as they pursue law enforcement degrees will continue, according to Metro Transit.