Takeaways from the State of the Union address – Chicago Tribune newstrendslive

Good morning, Chicago.

The State of the Union address tends to have a ritual rhythm. Grand entrance. Applause. Platitudes. Policies. Appeals for unity, real or imagined.

President Joe Biden checked those boxes, and a few more, during his speech to a joint session on Congress on Tuesday night. In part, he seemed to be laying the foundation to run for a second term. “We’ve been sent here to finish the job,” he said.

Biden made calls for unity and tried to emphasize conciliation over conflict, easier to do in this rarefied setting, seemingly impossible to sustain in such divided times.

Read takeaways from the president’s State of the Union address.

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CVS Health plans to buy Chicago-based Oak Street Health in a $10.6 billion deal that aims to expand CVS’s reach into primary care.

The all-cash deal was announced early Wednesday morning, with CVS Health saying it would pay $39 a share. The acquisition is expected to close later this year, pending regulatory approval.

Shut out for more than three decades, Chicago-based Molson Coors is back in the Big Game.

Molson Coors and other brewing giants were able to buy ads in the Super Bowl because Anheuser-Busch InBev gave up its exclusive rights as a game sponsor after 33 years. Industry analysts are already calling this year’s broadcast the Beer Bowl, with Heineken, Molson Coors, Sam Adams and Anheuser-Busch all scheduled to run ads in a wide-open commercial field.

On May 4, 2022, a hit-and-run car crash killed 22-year-old Nick Parlingayan on the city’s Northwest Side, raising safety concerns among other cyclists. Almost nine months later on Jan. 30, the Parlingayan family’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against Metra, the city of Chicago and others in the death of what his mother described as a “vibrant, loving” young man.

The half-mile stretch of Milwaukee Avenue between Kilbourn Avenue and Addison Street where Parlingayan was killed is considered deadly by cycling advocates, given its heavy car traffic, a major Metra reconstruction project and little protection for bikers and pedestrians.

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s world premiere of “The Factotum” is a hit in the city where it’s set. This is “The Barber of Seville” meets “The Barbershop,” writes critic Michael Phillips.

The arias, quartets, octets and musical styles roam widely, from trap and hip hop to rhythm and blues and Broadway, showcasing performers both opera- and musical theater-trained.

The Super Bowl is four days away, after which a momentous Chicago Bears offseason can begin in earnest. But first comes Thursday’s news of whether Devin Hester has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame — a question that kicks off Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag.

Illinois proudly proclaims itself the “Land of Lincoln” on vehicle license plates and eagerly promotes its many historic sites associated with the 16th president. But if you’re a Lincoln lover, you’d be remiss to overlook the state’s neighbor if you want a full understanding of the man.

You’ll find Lincoln lore scattered across the Hoosier state. To trace the footsteps of the great man, head south to Spencer County where sites from his formative years continue to inspire future generations.