Christmas tree made whole again

MILWAUKEE, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Milwaukee's broken Christmas tree is standing straight and tall once more, and workers say it should stay that way through the holiday season.

The top section of the 45-foot blue spruce broke off Thursday morning as the tree was being loaded onto a truck to be taken downtown, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The tree was cut in a city resident's front yard.

David Sivyer, the forestry manager, said the sections were reattached once the tree got to its destination in Red Arrow Park. Workers used steel rods and cable, along with straps.

"We want to eliminate any chance that it would fail and so we probably over-engineered it," he said. "But we wanted to do our best to salvage the tree."

The Alvarez family -- Gilberto, Virginia and their daughter, Yolanda -- had been trying to give the tree to the city for the past four Christmases. The tree is scheduled to be festooned with thousands of lights Monday and be ready in time for Thursday's lighting ceremony.