WBEZ14%
Chicago food giants rethink legacy products: The Rundown 41%
By Bianca Cseke22%
7/17/2026, 8:45:00 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 21 faulty reasoning types, including Attempt to Sell a Product or Service, Biased Writer Voice, and Halo Effect, with Appeal to Authority as the most egregious example at 13% saturation with 186 hits. Analysis detected 1,513 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,433 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 46.3% and a BS Rank of 41% (11,125 of 18,816 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 59.10% of the article peer group.
Good afternoon!
It’s Friday, and I’m excited to see if one of my most-anticipated movies of the year, director Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” lives up to the rave reviews .
Here’s what you need to know today.
1.
Chicago’s food giants look to entice consumers back to legacy brands
After a tumultuous few years of changing consumer taste and volatile economic conditions, Chicago’s biggest food companies have been leaning more into consumer trends and product collaborations intended to feed excitement, my colleague Mariah Rush reports.
In May, Kraft Heinz launched “Snackables,” the “first ever double snack pack designed to split, swap and share.”
The company also rolled out Capri-Sun juices with electrolytes, a protein version of its Mac & Cheese and a line of instant noodles, called KD Ramen, available in Canada.
Last month, Kraft Heinz announced a collaboration with Heineken.
For a limited time, customers can buy a six-pack that includes five beers and one bottle of Heinz ketchup.
Meanwhile, Mondelez announced a collaboration with popular K-pop group BTS, launched limited-edition Oreo flavors and rebranded classic Newtons, updating its packaging and emphasizing the product is made with real fig.
The company also introduced Sour Patch Kids Besties, where four gummies are linked as if they’re holding hands.
Consumers are no longer “cutting back, but recalibrating what they buy,” according to a July report by Chicago-based research firm Circana.
A well-documented emphasis on health and wellness, partially motivated by the use of GLP-1 drugs and an interest in a higher-protein diet, has left companies unsure how to proceed with legacy products.
[ Chicago Sun-Times ]
2.
Chicago experienced a second day of poor air quality, with wildfire smoke from Canada shutting down beaches and venues
Thick, acrid smoke still blanketed the Chicago area today, prompting closings and cancellations in the city and suburbs.
Forecasters said the smoke could linger into early tomorrow.
Citing the air quality, all Chicago beaches and outdoor pools were closed until further notice, the Chicago Park District said.
The Osaka Garden, the Garfield Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Conservatory also are closed for the day, while all outdoor park district programs were moved indoors.
The Chicago Architecture Center was among other attractions shuttered.
Beaches in Evanston were closed for the day, and all non-urgent, outdoor work activities unrelated to public safety were paused, including recycling collections in the north suburb.
Evanston summer camps were moved indoors, and all camps that couldn’t be relocated were canceled.
The Morton Arboretum in Lisle also was closed to the public.
Organizers for some events in the area were waiting to make final decisions about whether to cancel.
The Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, which launched its outdoor concert series last weekend with a $70 million renovation, was “closely monitoring air quality” in advance of tonight’s scheduled 8 p.m.
Paul Simon performance.
[ Chicago Sun-Times ]
Meanwhile local hardware stores told my colleague sales of air purifiers and KN95 masks significantly increased yesterday.
[ Chicago Sun-Times ]
3.
Spending in Chicago school board election exceeds $1.6 million as contribution limits lift in the race for board president
A WBEZ and Chalkbeat analysis of money candidates received from Oct. 1, 2025, to June 30 found the majority of that total — $1.1 million — went to people running to lead the 21-member board.
The president is the only member elected citywide.
Attorney Victor Hendorson gave himself half a million dollars in loans, which lifted donation limits for all five candidates vying for the president role.
These candidates have done the most fundraising, with the exception of former Chicago Teachers Union organizer Hilario Dominguez, who has reported no donations so far.
The other candidates for president are Jessica Biggs, Jennifer Custer and Sendhil Revuluri.
The sizable early donations point to the historic nature of the race, WBEZ’s Sarah Karp and Chalkbeat Chicago’s Mila Koumpilova write.
In November, Chicago residents will for the first time elect all 21 members of the school board, which is currently half-appointed by the mayor and half-elected.
For three decades before that, the mayor controlled the board.
Although the school board president does not get to vote on board decisions unless there is a tie, that person plays an outsize role in helping set the board agenda and the tone during meetings.
Sean Harden, a Mayor Brandon Johnson appointee who serves in the role now, is not running for the seat.
[ Chalkbeat Chicago/WBEZ ]
4.
Frank Gehry’s Icehenge desk could be headed to a museum
Sold at auction this week, the 16-piece Gehry-designed desk might be temporarily loaned to a museum or institution by the new owner, who wants to preserve public access to the 7-ton marvel.
“The buyer is dedicated to maintaining public access to Icehenge and is considering a temporary loan to a suitable museum or institution,” a representative of the Chicago office of Freeman’s said.
“Currently, no specific plans have been finalized.”
As Chicago Sun-Times architecture columnist Lee Bey reports, Freeman’s auction house would not say who purchased the desk, but it wasn’t Gehry friends Thomas and Margot Pritzker or their foundation.
Working with John Lewis Glass Studio, now Christison Lewis, in Oakland, California, Gehry created the 15,000-pound desk unit specifically for the Inland Steel lobby.
The architect died last year at age 96.
[ Chicago Sun-Times ]
5.
Aragon Ballroom marks 100 years of dancing, music and everything in between in Uptown
For a century, there’s only been one place in Chicago that can make you feel like you’re in a Moorish castle courtyard during a rock concert, Selena Fragassi writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Opened July 15, 1926, during the height of the Roaring ’20s and Prohibition, the Aragon Ballroom was built as a sophisticated dance hall where you could pay $0.90 to waltz along to big bands like the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.
“The Aragon opened during this second building boom in Uptown when the neighborhood was (and still kind of is) an entertainment district for the North Side,” said Robin Simon, a Chicago Architecture Center docent and the co-director of Uptown neighborhood tours.
The original owners, Andrew and William Karzas, had a similar popular spot on the South Side, the former Trianon at 62nd Street and Cottage Grove.
They wanted to replicate it up north, where the Riviera and Uptown Theatre were already popular movie spots and the Green Mill attracted the jazz crowd.
[ Chicago Sun-Times ]
Here’s what else is happening
The Centers for Disease Control and the U.S.
Food & Drug Administration linked iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms to the cyclospora outbreak.
[ New York Times ]
Republicans are leaning into immigration enforcement as one of their top campaign issues in the midterm elections.
[ NPR ]
Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon is bringing his indie festival back to his hometown of Eaux Claires, Wisconsin.
Here’s what to check out in this growing area becoming known for its arts, outdoor and food scenes.
[ Chicago Sun-Times ]
Review: Rush, featuring explosive drummer Anika Nilles, turned a reunion tour into a joyful celebration of life.
[ Chicago Sun-Times ]
Oh, and one more thing …
Within the Fine Arts Building, sounds such as pianos and opera singing drifting through its corridors are part of its atmospheric aura.
Soon the aroma of brewing coffee will add to the sensory mix, my colleague Amy Yee reports.
Groundswell Coffee Roasters is expected to open in the Fine Arts Building next week — pending final city inspections — marking the first cafe in the Downtown architectural landmark since its Artist’s Cafe closed in 2019.
Fine Arts Building tenants include more than 140 visual artists, musicians, writers, dancers and small businesses such as psychologists and a yoga studio, as well as organizations such as the Jazz Institute of Chicago.
The 10-story building is also home to the Studebaker Theater, where NPR does live tapings of quiz show “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!”
Groundswell’s launch continues a revitalization for the building, including a multimillion-dollar restoration of the Studebaker Theater from 2021 to 2023.
[ Chicago Sun-Times ]
Tell me something good …
What is your favorite Chicago-area beach?
“Fav beach is North Avenue near my residence, but I like some of the beaches on [the] South Side and there are some nice, small beaches all over that are sort of hidden spots that are better for relaxing.”
“Hollywood-Ardmore Beach is the most beautiful beach in the City, rivaling beaches all over the world.”
Thanks for the responses this week!
It was great hearing from everyone.
Analysis
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