Good morning, Chicago.
The State of the Union address is one of the durable set pieces of the presidency, a forum that almost always favors the speaker in a one-way conversation with millions of Americans.
Most of the speeches are instantly dissected, and almost as quickly forgotten. But this is a most unusual year, with President Joe Biden needing to make the case not simply that his policies warrant a a second term, but that he has the personal capacity at age 81 to do the job.
He laid out the clear contours of the campaign ahead, criticizing former President Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 insurrection and going after the Supreme Court, with justices present, over its ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Also, the shrinking size of a Snickers bar.
Here are some key takeaways from the speech.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Plan for hybrid elected Chicago school board now in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s hands
Legislation that spells out the inaugural electoral process for Chicago’s school board is in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s hands after the Illinois House approved a measure that would see half of the 20-member board elected in November with the other half appointed by the mayor, with the entire panel not decided on by voters for another two years.
In a 75-31 vote, the House passed the same hybrid model of the elected board that it pushed through the chamber during the fall veto session. That proposal stalled because the Senate moved ahead on its own plan to elect the entire board in the first round of balloting.
Amid migrant crisis, Chicago food pantries experience unprecedented demand
For many nonprofit food distributors, hourslong lines have become the norm. Food pantries across Chicago are grappling with a wave of unprecedented demand, driven at least in part by the influx of migrants in the city, forcing some to cut back services.
Many pantries have reduced the number of allotted visits per month to stretch supply. Others are rationing food products offered to guests.
Harris leans on personal story in state’s attorney stump speech
Cook County state’s attorney candidate Clayton Harris III made a personal pitch in his bid for the Democratic nomination in the upcoming primary to a sparse City Club crowd Thursday afternoon.
Rivian to launch second-generation R2 electric SUV production in Normal, as plans for Georgia plant are delayed
Rivian revealed its much anticipated downsized R2 electric SUV Thursday, with a few big surprises.
In order to get the R2 to market more quickly, Rivian will begin building its second-generation EVs at its plant in Normal, where the inaugural full-sized R1 line has been in production since 2021. Meanwhile, plans to construct a $5 billion Georgia plant to build the R2 are “delayed,” a company spokesperson said.
Aldi to add 800 of its discount stores across US as Americans feel pinch of high food prices
Aldi plans to add 800 of its discount grocery stores across the U.S. in a five-year expansion plan as it looks to capitalize on cost-conscious Americans feeling the pinch at grocery stores.
Chicago detects first case of measles in 5 years
The source of the infection in the Chicago case is unknown, but the contagious period ended Wednesday, Chicago public health officials said.
United Airlines plane makes a safe emergency landing in LA after losing a tire during takeoff
A United Airlines jetliner bound for Japan made a safe landing in Los Angeles on Thursday after losing a tire while taking off from San Francisco.
Bears resume talks with suburban schools even as they pursue a stadium in the city
Recently, the Bears have been looking into an enclosed stadium along the lakefront on parking lots just south of their current home at Soldier Field, said a source familiar with the project. They’re working with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office, the law firm of Sidley Austin and investment bank Goldman Sachs on a potential public-private partnership. The source said specific details about such a project for the Bears could be released soon.
DeMar DeRozan is 2nd in the NBA in minutes. Is it sustainable for the Bulls to rely so heavily on the 34-year-old?
It’s an uncommon feat for a player to log one of his heaviest workloads in his 15th NBA season, writes Julia Poe. But DeMar DeRozan is an uncommon player. He has missed only two games — one for a family emergency, one for a minor injury — and is averaging 37.8 minutes.
44 things this Chicagoan didn’t know about ‘The Blues Brothers’
“The Blues Brothers” movie, released in 1980, steeped in local lore forevermore, is often called the quintessential Chicago movie, and Christopher Borrelli is certainly not alone in saying that if he never saw it again, nothing would be lost. It’s been drummed into his skin, bones and flab, indelibly. Which is why he instinctively rolled his eyes when he landed an early copy of this new history, “The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic.” Strictly for the tourists, he thought. What could this book possibly offer Chicago?
The surprise is, plenty.
‘Monumental’ spotlights Oscar Dunn, the first elected Black lieutenant governor in Louisiana and US
Brian K. Mitchell is a font of information on Black history, so it’s not surprising that he himself is connected to history. Mitchell is a descendant of Oscar James Dunn, the first elected Black lieutenant governor in Louisiana and the United States. Dunn was elected in 1868 and eventually served as acting governor for 39 days during his tenure, which lasted until 1871.
Dunn’s life is the focus of Mitchell’s book, “Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana,” a graphic novel. Mitchell learned of Dunn’s story when he was 8 years old from the oral history that his great-grandmother passed down to him while he was living with relatives in New Orleans, after leaving Chicago.