Whether it’s walleye, church bake-offs, or chili contests in Chicago bars, the peculiar eating and cooking habits of our region are woven through the novel Kitchens of the Great Midwest. We talked with writer J. Ryan Stradal about the food and food culture of his native Midwest.

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McDonald’s second-quarter earnings report was released yesterday. Its weak sales and forecast sent its share price down four percent. We were joined by Crain’s Chicago Business Reporter Joe Cahill.

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We’ve been talking about the conversations that are happening around race, policing and violence. Two weeks ago, more than 2,000 community members and law enforcement members participated in a joint barbecue in Wichita, Kansas. We talked with AJ Bohannon, founder of I Got Your Back in Wichita.