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The recent beluga whale deaths at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium are renewing animal welfare activists' scrutiny of these facilities.

Why it matters: Animal welfare activists point to the deaths as examples of the dangers of captivity, while aquariums and other marine facilities argue they're best equipped to care for the mammals.

Catch up quick: Last month, 30 beluga whales and four dolphins were rescued from Marineland of Canada, with 10 of the belugas moving to the Shedd.

The rest of the whales found new homes at the Georgia Aquarium, San Diego and San Antonio SeaWorlds and Spain. 

Canada banned whale and dolphin captivity in 2019, but the whales at Marineland were grandfathered in, the CBC reported.

Marineland closed in 2024 under financial distress and said it could no longer care for the animals in its care, CBC reported.

The latest: Two of the new Shedd arrivals have died — Peekachu on Aug. 25 and Rain on Sept. 2. Longtime resident Beethoven also died on Sept. 2.

Beethoven was born in 1992 and was the oldest adult male in the pod and the second-largest beluga at Shedd.

What they're saying: "These losses are hard, made more difficult by the fact that it will take time to get concrete answers about what led to their passings," a Shedd spokesperson told Axios in a statement.

"Shedd added staff specifically to ensure we had the coverage needed to provide 24/7 observation and care as the rescued belugas arrived," the aquarium posted on its website Friday evening.

The other side: Animal welfare activists have long protested the captivity of whales. World Animal Protection said in a statement, "The years, and in some cases decades, spent in artificial environments can take a toll on these animals. We cannot simply move whales from one tank to another and call that a long-term solution for failing attractions."

The group continues to call for a global ban on keeping whales and dolphins for entertainment purposes. 

State of play: NOAA maintains 18 marine sanctuaries across the U.S. by protecting the biological environments and the animals who live there. 

But, currently there is no seaside sanctuary for previously captive mammals such as whales. Instead, the animals are sent to accredited aquariums and facilities such as the Shedd.

Zoom in: Whales born outside their natural environments cannot just be released into the ocean because they've never acquired the skills to live in the wild.

For more than a decade, the Whale Sanctuary Project has been building a seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia for formerly captive animals to receive care and possibly be released. 

The sanctuary will occupy more than 100 acres of water space with depths up to 18 meters.

It's funded through private donations but has not yet been completed.

What we're watching: Shedd said Friday that "some of the rescued belugas are showing more encouraging signs than others, but several have presented clinical concerns, and their health can change quickly. None are yet where we want them to be from a health standpoint."

Some of the belugas are eating regularly and others are not.

What's next: The animal care team is awaiting test results for more information about Peekachu, Rain and Beethoven's deaths.

Beluga deaths raise questions about what's next

Animal welfare advocates are questioning captive care after three whales died at the Chicago aquarium.

A pale beluga whale swims in a blue aquarium, viewed through glass by silhouetted visitors in the foreground.

Visitors watch a beluga whale swim at the Shedd Aquarium in 2012. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

The recent beluga whale deaths at Chicago&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Shedd Aquarium" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/05/05/making-drinking-water-from-sewage-recycling" data-vars-content-id="21eb1bcf-7dd9-4fbf-920a-188718657403" data-vars-headline="Beluga deaths raise questions about what&#x27;s next" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/05/05/making-drinking-water-from-sewage-recycling" target="_self">Shedd Aquarium</a> are renewing animal welfare activists&#x27; scrutiny of these facilities.Why it matters: Animal welfare activists point to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="deaths" data-vars-click-url="https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/09/03/2-more-beluga-whales-die-at-shedd-aquarium-including-recent-rescue/" data-vars-content-id="21eb1bcf-7dd9-4fbf-920a-188718657403" data-vars-headline="Beluga deaths raise questions about what&#x27;s next" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/09/03/2-more-beluga-whales-die-at-shedd-aquarium-including-recent-rescue/" target="_blank">deaths</a> as examples of the dangers of captivity, while aquariums and other marine facilities argue they&#x27;re best equipped to care for the mammals.

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The Chicago Architecture Center's popular Open House Chicago will include 20 new sites this year.

Why it matters: The annual festival opens the doors to some of the city's architectural gems, from churches to offices to private homes, for free.

The details: Open House Chicago (OHC) takes place on Oct. 17-18 across 30 neighborhoods.

More than 200 locations make up this year's itinerary, including 20 sites new to the festival.

Luxurious living room featuring a large white lily mural, teal drapes, ornate molding, a crystal chandelier, and blue/beige seating around a central coffee table.

Women's Athletic Club of Chicago off the Mag Mile. Photo: Courtesy of WACC

State of play: New sites in 2026 include:

Brick synagogue with tall glass-block center, arched windows, and decorative stonework; front entrance with double doors and steps. Framed by green trees; sign reads "Congregation B'nai Bezalel".

Narrow Bridge Arts Club in Woodlawn. Photo: Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Center

Zoom in: OHC features "Built on Belief" this year, exploring three places in Woodlawn shaped by different faith communities — Narrow Bridge Arts Club, First Presbyterian Church of Chicago and Oak Woods Cemetery.

Of note: The OHC photo competition returns, asking festgoers to submit photos taken at OHC sites.

Six winners will have their work displayed in the CAC's Chicago Gallery on Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive.

Open House Chicago adds 20 new sites to 2026 festival

More than 200 sites across 30 Chicago neighborhoods will open their doors for free Oct. 17-18.

Castle-style brick building with crenellated towers under a bright blue sky. A person in a yellow shirt stands on the parapet, while green hedges and a manicured garden frame the foreground.

Park Castle Condominiums in Rogers Park. Photo: Courtesy of Park Castle Condominiums

The Chicago Architecture Center&#x27;s popular <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Open House Chicago" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/15/open-house-chicago-2025-new-sites-architecture-tour" data-vars-content-id="6341b0bc-db88-4605-9cd1-b6260dbb69bd" data-vars-headline="Open House Chicago adds 20 new sites to 2026 festival" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/15/open-house-chicago-2025-new-sites-architecture-tour" target="_self">Open House Chicago</a> will include 20 new sites this year.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="annual festival" data-vars-click-url="https://openhousechicago.org/" data-vars-content-id="6341b0bc-db88-4605-9cd1-b6260dbb69bd" data-vars-headline="Open House Chicago adds 20 new sites to 2026 festival" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://openhousechicago.org/" target="_blank">annual festival</a> opens the doors to some of the city&#x27;s architectural gems, from churches to offices to private homes, for free.

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Thousands of Chicago hotel workers are threatening to strike if hotels don't meet their demands.

Why it matters: The union represents 15,000 workers at more than 40 Chicago hotels, meaning a widespread strike could disrupt hotel operations during a key time for tourism and conventions.

Catch up quick: By Aug. 31, contracts covering about 7,000 workers at Chicago hotels had officially expired, according to Unite Here Local 1.

According to the union, 46 hotels either don't have a contract or their contracts expired, including the Ritz-Carlton, The Drake, Mag Mile Hilton, Hyatt, Sofitel and the Westin.

Workers used the Labor Day holiday to gather in downtown Chicago to call attention to their demands.

Zoom in: Union members want better wages to keep up with inflation, health care benefits, pension, protection for immigrant workers and safer workloads, according to the union.

"In a 2025 UNITE HERE Local 1 survey, 1 in 8 hotel workers reported using a food pantry in the last 12 months. A third lacked money to cover the cost of housing over the previous 12 months, and 1 in 4 resorted to using payday loans or other short-term loans," the union said in a statement.

The other side: "Hyatt has offered competitive wages and benefits, and all employees' wages and benefits remain unchanged as we negotiate a new agreement," Hyatt's head of labor relations Daniel Dring told Axios in a statement.

"We have contingency plans in place to minimize the impact on hotel operations related to any possible labor disruption, and we respect our colleagues' rights to voice their opinions," Dring added.

Hilton and Marriott did not respond to Axios' request for comment. 

State of play: The union includes housekeepers, cooks, bartenders, bellmen, servers and dishwashers in Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

Flashback: The last significant hotel strike took place in 2018, when workers at 26 hotels picketed for nearly a month.

Zoom out: Organizations doing business with the affected hotels have vowed not to cross a picket line. 

 The Chicago Foundation for Women said in a statement last week it would move next month's annual luncheon from the Hilton Chicago if workers and management cannot reach an agreement.

What's next: A Unite Here Local 1 spokesperson tells Axios that as of Tuesday, there's no deal with the hotels but negotiations continue. 

Hyatt's conversations with Unite Here Local 1 are slated to resume on Thursday, Dring, the hotel's spokesperson, said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a comment from Hyatt.

Thousands of Chicago hotel workers threaten to strike

About 7,000 hotel workers have expired contracts as their union pushes for wages and benefits.

Diverse crowd of protesters in an urban plaza holds round white signs with red borders reading UNITE HERE!, with a beige stone government building in the background.

Workers picketing in the Loop last week.Photo: Courtesy of Unite Here Local 1

Thousands of Chicago hotel workers are threatening to strike if hotels don&#x27;t meet their demands.Why it matters: The union represents 15,000 workers at more than 40 Chicago hotels, meaning a widespread strike could disrupt hotel operations during a key time for tourism and conventions.

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Let's get ready to celebrate the holiday weekend! 

Here are some of our suggestions for a great Labor Day Weekend around Chicago.

🎷 When I was a wet-behind-the-ears producer at WBEZ, one of my awesome responsibilities was directing live broadcasts of the Chicago Jazz Festival. Those memories will stay with me forever — and are one reason I always make time for one of the city's best music festivals. This year's headliners include M.E.B. (Miles Electric Band), celebrating the Miles Davis Centennial and Paquito D'Rivera. | Free | Millennium Park | Thursday-Sunday, starting at 11am

🤣 I'm always on the hunt for a good improv show, and this Sunday should deliver. It's the 30th anniversary of Deep Schwa, one of Chicago's best long-form improv groups. They performed at iO throughout the 1990s, and several familiar faces from the city's comedy scene will be back for the reunion. | iO | Sunday, 8pm

🎞️ Film noir on the big screen is always a treat, but give me a whole festival of it! Music Box's NOIR CITY returns with 19 crime flicks centered around music, including a Friday night double feature of "Sweet Smell of Success" and the Chicago-set "The Man with the Golden Arm." | Music Box Theatre | Friday, 7pm (runs through Sept. 10) 

🎭 How's this for a wild true story? In 2012, Andrew Breitbart's final blog post targeted a small Chicago theater production that had once featured Barack Obama on a post-show panel. Now, veteran theater artist and producer Pam Dickler tells the bizarre story in her funny one-woman show, "I Killed Andy Breitbart." | $20-$30 | Apollo Theater Studio | Sept. 5-27; Saturdays, 8pm, Sundays 3pm 

Three drag queens pose in a gold-theater interior with red stage curtain. Left in a black tux with white gloves, center in a gold gown with curly red hair, right in a silver sequined dress.

"Joan Crawford Goes to Hell." Photo: Courtesy of Rick Aguilar Studios

💄 Our storefront theater scene ranks among the best. Hell in a Handbag Productions' "Joan Crawford Goes to Hell" sounds like a deliciously inventive spin on one of Hollywood's great villains. And the production includes three Joans! | $34+ | The Clutch | Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows through Sept. 27

🧘 I'm a longtime yogi, and over the past couple of years, I've gotten into sound bath yoga. It's incredibly relaxing and transporting. As the hot weather starts to cool, a sound bath in the park sounds like a fitting way to welcome a new season. | $25 | Chicago Women's Park and Gardens | Saturday, 10:30-11:30am 

📽️ My heart still aches for Dolly, and while there's plenty of sap in "Steel Magnolias," Dolly, Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis are all just perfect in the rewatchable movie. Even better — 10% of ticket sales will benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. | $24+ | Rooftop Cinema Club in Fulton Market | Monday, 7:15pm

🥟 While our current tropical weather doesn't exactly scream "pierogi time," when things cool off this weekend, we're all gonna want to eat and dance at Taste of Polonia in Jefferson Park.

Enjoy folk dancing, crafts, a kids' zone, polka and lots of delicious kielbasa, pierogi and cabbage rolls. | $10-15 | Friday-Sunday | Copernicus Center 

🇲🇽 After last year's Mexican Independence Parade and Celebration in Pilsen suffered low turnout in the face of threats to Chicago from the White House and the impending start of Operation Midway Blitz, I'm hoping that this year (while still fraught) sees bigger crowds for the parade's 25th year. | Saturday, noon | Harrison Park and 18th Street

👨🏽‍🌾 With the late summer harvest in full swing, Saturday volunteer days at the 2-acre Chicago Farm Lab in Belmont Cragin offer a great way to get outside, learn gardening and engage with community. 

Started by Prosser biology teacher Marnie Ware, the garden offers student service credits or just satisfying work in a green corner of the city, as illustrated in this Block Club video. | Saturdays, 10am-3pm, through October | 2148 N. Long Ave.

Mexican Independence Parade and Celebration 

Best things to do in Chicago Labor Day weekend

The weekend includes the Chicago Jazz Festival, a movie marathon and tons of outdoor activities.

An older man with gray hair and beard, in a white suit and dark glasses, plays a saxophone on stage while red curtains rise behind and other musicians are visible.

The late Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins performs during the 30th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival in 2008. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Let&#x27;s get ready to celebrate the holiday weekend! Here are some of our suggestions for a great Labor Day Weekend around Chicago.

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The textile mecca born in New York and made famous on "Project Runway" is now open in Chicago.

Why it matters: Mood Fabrics expands into Chicago a year after chain retailer Joann's Fabrics closed, and it joins a stable of locally owned options. 

Between the lines: The store's Loop location is near the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College  — two local schools with fashion design programs.

Store display of rainbow fabric ribbons hanging on a wall, with upper shelves of boxes labeled i am natural and organic and Rit dye products on the lower shelves.

Mood Fabrics Chicago. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios

State of play: Mood Fabrics' Chicago store marks the brand's sixth U.S. location and joins Atlanta as the second showroom.

Mood is also in New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami.

The Chicago store will soon offer sewing and design classes.

Flashback: Jack and Janet Sauma opened the first Mood Designer Fabrics in New York's Garment District in 1991.

The store received a big boost of fame in 2004 when contestants on Bravo's reality competition show "Project Runway" shopped there. Host Tim Gunn's "Thank you, Mood!" became a signature slogan of the popular show.

What they're saying: Axios caught up with Augustine Christensen outside Mood Fabrics this week after they purchased some fabric to make a birthday gift for their sister. Christensen said they're mainly self-taught, but they plan to stick with it.

"Once you start sewing, you can like see people's clothes; you can see the pattern of the clothes; you can see, 'Oh, the squares and that's the bias.' … Like a blueprint almost," Christensen said.

Zoom out: Mood Fabrics joins a roster of locally owned options, such as Vogue Fabrics, Chicago Fabric Yarn & Button Sales, Fishman Fabrics, the WasteShed and the multistory Textile Discount Outlet.

Rather than lugging huge bolts of fabric around the store before carrying them home, Mood's samples each display a QR code, and shoppers can have the fabric shipped to their home.

If you go: Mood Fabrics is open daily from 10am-7pm at 109 S. State St. 

Mood Fabrics opens in Chicago

The famed New York fabric store has landed in the Loop, with sewing and design classes coming soon.

Row of fabric swatches on a display rack in a store, ranging from pastel pinks and neutrals to bold floral prints and black-and-white checks, with mood-brand tags above.

The textile mecca born in New York and made famous on &quot;Project Runway&quot; is now open in Chicago.Why it matters: Mood Fabrics expands into Chicago a year after chain retailer <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Joann&#x27;s Fabrics" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/02/12/joann-fabrics-closing-stores-2025-bankruptcy" data-vars-content-id="fecc79d2-b363-4464-b3e3-e6a79ffb1df4" data-vars-headline="Mood Fabrics opens in Chicago" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/02/12/joann-fabrics-closing-stores-2025-bankruptcy" target="_self">Joann&#x27;s Fabrics</a> closed, and it joins a stable of locally owned options.

Carrie Shepherd

Featured stories

Open House Chicago adds 20 new sites to 2026 festival

Thousands of Chicago hotel workers threaten to strike

Beluga deaths raise questions about what's next

Mood Fabrics opens in Chicago

Best things to do in Chicago Labor Day weekend