Podcasts about Newsmakers

Amber Canavan, Vegan Campaign Project Manager for PETA, joins Lisa Dent to discuss PETA finding Chicago the most vegan-friendly city in the United States. Despite Chicago being iconic for its beef and hotdogs, Canavan shares that Chicago’s widely available vegan alternatives place it at the top of the list.

Howard Tullman, American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, educator, writer, lecturer, and art collector, joins Lisa Dent to discuss his latest article which addresses ‘Genericide.’

Dr. Hermene Hartman, Chicago media pioneer and founder of N'Digo, joins Lisa Dent to reflect on the passing of Sly Stone. Then, Dr. Hartman reflects on the Elon Musk biography, and teases her upcoming article.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins Lisa Dent to discuss the state of the stock market. Savage shares that the stock market is up despite a lack of a trade deal with China, but is weary of the stability of consumer spending. Then, as always, she answers questions from listeners.

Dr. Sterling Elliott, clinical pharmacist at Northwestern Medicine and assistant professor of orthopedics at Feinberg School of Medicine, joins Lisa Dent to discuss ivermectin. Dr. Elliot explains, is prescribed to treat parasitic infections. He shares when its prescribed, and whether or not ivermectin is FDA approved.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Glenn Davis, Co-Artistic Director of the Steppenwolf Theatre and Solomon “Junior” Jasper in Purpose, joins Lisa Dent to talk about the success that Purpose has had. Over the weekend, the Pulitzer Prize winning play won the Tony Award for ‘Best Play.’ Davis talks about the experience and his reaction to the success that the play […]

Peter Greenberg, travel expert and host of Eye on Travel on WGN Radio, joins Lisa Dent from London to discuss all things travel.

Monica Eng, reporter with Axios Chicago, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the increase in lead levels in the water of 72 communities in Illinois. Eng encourages people in affected communities to let faucets run for 5 minutes after several hours of non-use before ingesting any water.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Ald. Bennett Lawson, 44th Ward, joins Lisa Dent to discuss accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Mayor Brandon Johnson does not have the City Council votes needed to allow single family homeowners to turn parts of their property into revenue generating ADUs city-wide. Ald. Lawson has advocated for over year to integrate this system and hopes that […]

Jahmal Cole, founder and CEO of My Block, My Hood, My City, joins Lisa Dent to share an update on his mission to live in all 77 of Chicago's neighborhoods — what Cole calls his “listening tour.” Cole just finished living a month in Humboldt Park. Cole will now spend a month living in Rogers […]

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Ilyce Glink, CEO of Best Money Moves financial wellness company, joins Lisa Dent to share the latest jobs report. Then, Glink shares why car insurance premiums have climbed more than 20 percent in just a year.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Dana Sussman, senior vice-president of Pregnancy Justice, a reproductive rights organization, joins Lisa Dent to discuss laws surrounding abortion in various states across the country. Sussman shares particular cases where women are being reported to law enforcement as a result of miscarriages or abortions.

Sheerine Alemzadeh, Co-Founder of Healing to Action, joins Lisa Dent to discuss domestic violence in Chicago. Alemzadeh explains which demographics are most vulnerable, and shares how people can help those who are victims of abuse.

Dr. Lisa Simon, dentist and researcher, joins Lisa Dent to discuss her study that finds that banning fluoride nationwide would result in an increase in tooth decay in children while increasing the costs of dental care. Dr. Simon goes further in depth on the details of her study and what the longer term effects might […]

Mariah Hadler, Customer Engagement Manager for Jones Dairy Farm, joins Lisa Dent to discuss Dairy Month in Wisconsin. Mariah shares details about one of the more popular dining experiences: breakfast on a dairy farm. Some of the history of Jones Dairy Farm is also shared, and more. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7444236/Mariah_Hadler_05_30_2025_2025-05-30-203836.64kmono.mp3

Tom Skilling, former chief meteorologist for WGN-TV, joins Lisa Dent to chat about his life in retirement, the effects of the Canadian wildfires, and how the federal cuts to NOAA and NWS have affected weather forecasts.

Felicia Freitag, Manager of the Aurora Farmers Market, joins Lisa Dent to highlight the oldest operating Famers Market in Illinois. Celebrating 115 years, the Aurora Farmers Market offers more than just producer vendors. You can find pastries, hot food, high quality artisan goods, and more. For full details, you can find them here.

Donna Reynolds, Ottawa Visitors Center, joins Lisa Dent to share all the events and activities that the Ottawa Visitors Center hosts this summer.

Howard Tullman, American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, educator, writer, lecturer, and art collector, joins Lisa Dent to share his perspective on connecting with people from your past, and the importance of community. Then, Tullman discusses his latest article about not wasting your customer’s time.

25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez joins Lisa Dent live from an ICE detention center claiming that 10 people have been detained without due process. Ald. Sigcho Lopez says that 10 people from south Michigan were arriving at a immigration facility in Chicago and then detained by ICE with no warrant.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) joins Lisa Dent to discuss the latest tariffs on steel. Rep. Krishnamoorthi shares his grievances against the tariffs believing it will hurt our relationships with Mexico and Canada. Then, Krishnamoorthi give the latest updates from the House floor about the ‘big beautiful bill.’

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Dr. Hermene Hartman, Chicago media pioneer and founder of N'Digo, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the shooting at St. Sabina over the weekend. Then, Dr. Hartman highlights her upcoming article.

WGN-TV political analyst Paul Lisnek joins Lisa Dent to share details about the latest state budget that passed over the weekend. Lisnek highlights the the newly proposed taxes, a lack of a new transportation budget, and more.

It’s been 40 years since Steve Bertrand began his career at WGN Radio. To celebrate, some former coworkers joined Lisa Dent to reminisce on Bertrand’s career including Spike O’Dell, Kathy O’Malley and Judy Markey, Andrea Darlas, and Judy Pielach.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Demetrius Ivory joins Lisa Dent to discuss the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, how long the Chicago sky will have smoke, and shares the upcoming forecast. As part of the celebration of his 40th anniversary on WGN Radio, Steve Bertrand joins the conversation to recall his on-the-scene coverage of the devastating Will County […]

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins Lisa Dent to discuss Steve Bertrand’s 40th work anniversary and whether he followed her financial advice early in her career. Then, Savage talks about her most recent column about the digital world that we now live in and how important that is is to have access to digital […]

While most long-term care providers understandably dread the staffing recruitment and retention problems that face virtually everyone in the business, there's a different mindset at Tutera Senior Living & Health Care. They call staffing a “huge opportunity.” It's the type of proactive optimism that has led Tutera, which manages 86 communities in 10 mostly Midwestern states, to rise up and embark on a year-long, multi-tiered 40th anniversary celebration. “Our outlook is very bright. We continue to grow for the right reasons and we're growing in a way that allows us to be successful,” Tutera President and COO Randy Bloom tells Executive Editor James M. Berklan in this McKnight's Newsmakers podcast. At the heart of it all is a philosophy of how to best deal with people — residents, families, the company's 6,000-plus employees and others, Bloom says. The special Tutera Younite approach is the anchor. Download this special podcast to learn more about what makes the Tutera powerhouse tick, and the characteristics leaders say allow them to operate successful life plan communities and other freestanding facilities in an increasing number of locations.

Dr. Sterling Elliott, clinical pharmacist at Northwestern Medicine and assistant professor of orthopedics at Feinberg School of Medicine, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the changes to pharmacy benefit managers, their effect on prescription drug prices, Health and Human Services changing addiction drug availability, and more. And as always, Dr. Elliott answers questions from listeners.

Aly Udartseva, Founder of Pup Social, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the new social club for pets. Pup Social offers exclusive membership with an assortment of amenities for pets and their owners.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Ilyce Glink, CEO of Best Money Moves financial wellness company, joins Lisa Dent to share some of the reasons why we may begin to see a price drop in the housing industry. Glink shares some statistics about how long houses are remaining on the market, the change of seeing more sellers than buyers by an […]

Jennifer Kuhn with Fox Lake Parks and Recreation joins Lisa Dent to talk about what the Park District has to offer, Fox Lake’s “Friday Night Live”, Ray Auto Group’s support, the artisan market, the newly revamped Lakefront Park, and more!

Dane Neal fills in for Lisa Dent on Memorial Day: Segment 1: Major Andrew Keithley of the Golden Knights joins Dane to discuss the team and their love of entertaining and skydiving.  Segment 2: Jim Bob Morris joins Dane Neal, in for Lisa Dent, on WGN Radio to talk about his latest travel stories. Segment […]

Peter Greenberg, travel expert and host of Eye on Travel on WGN Radio, joins Lisa Dent to share the details around United Airlines adding more flights this fall to compete with American Airlines. Then, Greenberg shares the best practices to try and land the best prices on your flight including booking directly through the airline’s […]

Ronald Safer, lead prosecutor of Larry Hoover, joins Lisa Dent to discuss President Trump commuting Larry Hoover’s Federal prison sentence. Safer calls Hoover an ‘incredibly powerful man’ and hopes that, despite his federal sentence being commuted, he will serve the remainder of his sentence in federal custody.

Tio Hardiman, Founder and Executive Director of Violence Interrupters, Inc., joins Lisa Dent to discuss Larry Hoover’s sentence being commuted by President Trump.

Ray Scarpelli, of Ray Auto Group of Fox Lake, joins Lisa Dent to talk about his family’s multigenerational involvement in Fox Lake. Scarpelli shares the beauty of Fox Lake and the people who live there.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Donny Schmit, Fox Lake Mayor, Joins Lisa Dent to share some stories and revel in the beauty of Fox Lake, its community, and all that their city has to offer.

Ald. Bennett Lawson, 44th Ward, joins Lisa Dent to talk about vacation rentals in Chicago. Ald. Lawson shares that while most hosts are responsible, there are some circumstances where the hosts are not present or easily contacted. Ald. Lawson would like some more transparency and clarity to protect his and other communities in the city.

Lou Manfredini joins Lisa Dent in his weekly segment, Ask Lou, where he answers your questions about home repair.

Update: As of Wednesday evening, all four flares have been found according to the US Coast Guard: https://x.com/USCGGreatLakes/status/1927853117040668847 Lt. Joe Neff, U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the active flare that washed up on Montrose Beach. Lt. Neff encourages people to not touch the flares which are silver cylinders, 15-18 […]

Ron Nunziato, the senior director of policy for the Health Care Council of Illinois, joins Lisa Dent to share the details on the proposed cuts to Medicaid in ‘The Big Beautiful Bill.’ Nunziato details what would happen to those in nursing homes and recipients of Medicaid.