John Williams

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast by congratulating Rascal Brandon Pope on his new gig at FOX32! […]

We are ‘Keeping it Green’ with Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob says lawns are doing great with recent rains, but make sure to keep an eye out for […]

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to explain what’s going on with Treasury yields, how the war in Iran has been impacting the economy, today’s ADP data, what is expected from Friday’s August labor report, and the risks and rewards of paying off your home with a HELOC. David hosts “Home […]

Cathy Adduci, Village President, River Forest, joins John Williams to talk about why some residents of River Forest are not on board with the plan for the O’Hare Flyer, a high speed train that will get you from downtown to O’Hare Airport in 15 minutes.

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the impact of the war in Iran on the economy, why the market has been resilient despite the uncertainty, why he thinks the market is poised for growth, what he expects from the Fed […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the controversy surrounding Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed saying in an interview that he wants Michigan to ‘beat Ohio.’ El-Sayed is also under scrutiny for some old tweets referencing 9/11. Eric also talks about the upcoming Chicago mayoral election, and why he’s skeptical […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about studies that are being done to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, the FDA approving a drug treatment for pancreatic cancer, and what we know about this year’s flu season.

Marge Sipla, Speed Jokes spirit animal, cataloger, and member of the Speed Jokes Committee, joins John Williams and the gang to give us her favorite Speed Jokes of August 2026! What was your favorite joke this month? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. With all the rain this week, Lou says to take a quick walk around the home and look for problem areas to address so water doesn’t get into your house. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners,, joins Jon Hansen to talk about Fed Chair Kevin Warsh sticking to his guns on getting inflation down to 2%, why the market is reacting negatively to Warsh’s comments, what the Fed will likely do with interest rates in September, the concern over the national debt, the […]

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,' joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about President Trump renaming Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America.’ Connell thinks the whole renaming of things is silly and a distraction to what is really important to people. Will Trump’s trade war with Canada hurt the GOP […]

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Joseph Vallez, Executive Director of the Bensenville Park District, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about their 4-H program at Fischer Farm, how the park district offers many different experiences even if you aren’t into sports, the beautiful White Pines Golf Course, the whole gamut of events at White Pines that […]

Bensenville Mayor Frank DeSimone joins Jon Hansen (filling in for John Williams) to talk about the importance of community in Bensenville, some of the great events taking place in Bensenville over the next couple of months (including their incredible Halloween celebrations), how they take care of first responders, the revival of Bensenville’s downtown, how they […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature for 2026! Are you trying to come up with some quick getaway ideas that are only a quick trip from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams (today, Jon Hansen) has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we escape to beautiful Michigan and visit […]

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about a recent Washington Post opinion piece saying that we should not lettuce any longer. What does Dawn think? Dawn also answers all of your food and nutrition questions!

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of the Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope's Screening Room (stay tuned for some BIG news from Brandon). This week, the Rascals begin the podcast honoring the life and legacy […]

We are ‘Keeping it Green’ with Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob says that even though we are seeing cooler temperatures now, the forecast still calls for 90’s, so […]

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. Kerry talks about why he supports the ‘Medical Aid in Dying’ bill that will become law in September.

Michelle Nichols, Director of Public Observing, The Adler Planetarium, joins John Williams to talk about the next great telescope to go up into space and why you should care about it! Oh, and don’t forget about the partial lunar eclipse on Thursday! Michelle also gives us her review of ‘The Odyssey.’

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Dr. Victoria Weston, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care, joins John Williams to talk about Moderna and Merck saying an experimental vaccine prevented the return and spread of cancer in high-risk melanoma patients, a new weight loss drug that may burn fat without muscle loss, and what we should know about flu […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Enes Kanter Freedom claiming to be a woman and declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft, the difficulty opening the pouches in cereal boxes, and Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey invoking Fred Flintstone when asked if humans and dinosaurs co-existed.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou suggests that now is the time for the pre-fall HVAC tune-up and to get your chimney cleaned. Lou also shares his thoughts on mandatory service for young adults and when you should take Social […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins John Williams to talk about how much we should care about the national debt hitting $40 trillion and if we need to be paying attention to the story of President Trump’s aid, Natalie Harp.

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John to talk about the market volatility this week, the bond market and national debt awareness, why treasury yields are higher, the concern about the job market, what he thinks about the future of wage growth, what’s driving the stock market right now, and what investors […]

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Michael O’Brien, Chicago Sun-Times High School Sports Editor, joins John Williams to preview the 2026 high school football season. What are the big storylines for this season?

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about how 68% of people do not have optimism magnesium levels and what you can do to get your magnesium levels up. Dawn also stresses the importance of lunch. And as always, Dawn answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature for 2026! Are you trying to come up with some quick getaway ideas that are only a quick trip from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head west to beautiful Princeton, Illinois and chat with Victoria […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of the  Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals start the podcast talking about the CTU filing a defamation lawsuit against the Illinois Policy Institute (as well as […]

We are ‘Keeping it Green’ with Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Today, Bob talks about the amount of rain we’ve been getting and offers some lawn cutting tips.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the small uptick in COVID cases, how concerned we should be about the cyclospora outbreak, if the BRAT diet is still good for treating a stomach bug, and a new study that shows belly fat may be […]

Kelly Leonard, Vice President, Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City and host of the “Getting to Yes, And…” podcast, joins John Williams to talk about his recent podcast with writer David Epstein about the new book, ‘Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better.’ David suggests that constraints can actually help you […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the CTU suing the Illinois Policy Institute (and our friend Austin Berg), Governor JB Pritzker putting more money into his reelection fund, and how polling impacts voter behavior.