John Williams

Dan Podgorski, Lansing Village Administrator, joins John Williams to talk about his time as mayor of Lansing, what he would like people to know about Lansing, why it’s a great location for business, the beautiful old, traditional downtown, the importance of redevelopment, how long he’s worked in Lansing, and why it’s the perfect town to […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head to the Hoosier State and visit with Jordan Smith, Leisure Marketing […]

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

After 3 weeks of voting on 64 Chicago area “Mom & Pop” Italian Beef places, we finally have a new champion of our annual Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament, sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Caruso Provisions. John Williams was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast cohost / WGN Radio bracketologist Michael Piff to call […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week the Rascals head to New York to start the podcast and break down Zohran Mamdani winning the Democratic mayoral primary. What do the Rascals think the win means […]

Sarah Spain, host of “Good Game with Sarah Spain,” and author of the new book, ‘Runs in the Family: An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood, and Belonging,' joins John Williams to talk about the popularity of women’s sports and why she continues to shine a light on those stories, how she came up with […]

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. Does the government offer a plan where a family member could be paid for providing care instead of a nursing home or retirement center?

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 implores us to keep watering those trees and lawns.

Andy Hale, the lawyer for Chester Weger, a.k.a., The Starved Rock Killer, joins John Williams to talk about the passing of his client at the age of 86. Andy tells John how Chester Weger fought until the end to prove his innocence. Will Andy continue to try to prove that Chester Weger did not commit […]

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

Jared Gans, Staff Writer, The Hill, joins John Williams to break down the New York City primary election. What will the results of the mayoral election mean for the Democratic Party moving forward?

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the hot weather and what you need to know to protect yourself, the new ‘razor blade throat’ COVID variant that has been going around, a monthly weight loss drug from Amgen that helped people lose about 20% of their […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the heatwave enveloping the Chicago area, his thoughts on the NYC primary election, if he favors ranked-choice voting, JB Pritzker likely announcing another run for Illinois governor, and the possibility of former mayor Rahm Emanuel considering a run for president.

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John Williams to talk about the resiliency of the market despite geopolitical uncertainty, when (or if) we might see tariffs impact the economy, and his thoughts on the Fed keeping interest rates steady.

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. We are in a bit of hot streak lately and Lou offers up some tips to keep your house cool during the heat wave. And as always, Lou answers all of your home improvement questions. […]

NewsNation's national security contributor Lt. General Richard Newton joins John Williams to talk about the U.S. striking Iranian nuclear sites. Lt. General Newton explains what the strikes mean and what it means to the U.S. and stability in the Middle East.

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

Wendy Reed and Adam Johnson, Partners, Just Rite IT, join John to talk about what Just Rite IT does, the various services they provide, the typical client that they work with, how company growth has helped their client flexibility, and the value of the services they provide.

Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips joins John Williams to talk about the 50th anniversary of ‘Jaws.’ Michael and John talk about their memories of when they first saw the film, the well-placed laughs in the movie, the cultural impact of the film at the time, the challenges of making the movie, and why the film still holds up today.

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about President Trump saying he will make a decision on Iran in two weeks, and the latest on the various ICE raids around the country.

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!

Steve Stout, historian and author of the book, “The Starved Rock Murders,” joins John to talk about Chester Weger, the man known as ‘The Starved Rock Killer,’ losing his bid to have his conviction overturned.

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway 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 Yepsen, Director […]

Josh Sach, Founder of Meela, joins John Williams to talk about the new AI chat app that was designed to help seniors feel less lonely. Josh explains how the AI companion works, the average conversation length, how much the service costs, how they operate with trust and transparency, and what he would say to people […]

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, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals kick off today’s podcast talking about some Illinois politicians being denied entry to ICE facilities this week. What are these types of actions designed to accomplish? The ‘No Kings’ protests across […]

Attorney Matthew Custardo of Custardo Law joins John Williams to talk about the motion he filed that would block the Village of Dolton from getting ownership of the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV.

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 tells us how you can care for your lawn and garden with the hot and humid weather.

Daryl Pass, Senior Manager of Recovery Support Services, Kenneth Young Center, joins John Williams to talk about the importance of his sobriety date and what it means to him, the type of counseling they give at Kenneth Young Center, the focus on harm reduction, his thoughts on the use of AI in recovery, the various services the […]

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 Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the benefits of using AI in the hospital, men’s prostate enlarging with age, older people deteriorating mentally at rehab facilities, another new COVID strain in the U.S., and what we should know about COVID, flu and shingles vaccines.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the sentencing of former Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan, his thoughts on Saturday’s ‘No Kings’ protests across the country, why he thinks waving a flag of another country at a protest sends the wrong message, the controversy surrounding Nezza singing the […]

Peter Greenberg, ‘Eye on Travel‘ host and CBS News travel editor, joins John Williams to talk about what we should know about Americans traveling abroad this summer. Also, what are other countries telling their residents about coming to the US? Peter answers all of your travel questions.

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

Ray Long, the great investigative reporter at the Chicago Tribune, and author of the book, ‘The House that Madigan Built,’ joins John Williams to talk about former Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan being sentenced to over 7 years in prison. Was Ray surprised by the severity of the sentence?

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou says how adding a macerating toilet to your basement can add convenience and value to your home. And as always, Lou answers all of your home improvement questions. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning […]

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

Best-selling author Rich Cohen joins John Williams to discuss his latest book, ‘Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story.’

Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and Vice President of Marketing, Illinois Policy Institute, joins John Williams to talk about former Speaker of the House Michael Madigan being sentenced today for corruption convictions. Check out Austin’s news substack, ‘The Last Ward.’

Author, terrorism analyst, and DePaul University history professor Dr. Thomas Mockaitis joins John Williams to discuss Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear program. What is the role the U.S. played in this strike?

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!