John Williams

Philippe Largent, State Director, AARP Illinois, joins John Williams to talk about the work he does with AARP, Illinois earning the ‘Age Friendly State’ designation, what is needed for people to age well, and the effort to make Illinois the most livable state for people as they get older.

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about Air Canada canceling flights to the U.S due to low demand, if AI spending will translate into profits, the broadening of the stock market and why that’s good news, if he expects a Fed rate hike before the end of […]

Sara M. Krzyzaniak, MD, Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and assistant dean of graduate medical education, joins John Williams to talk about her career, when she became interested in emergency medicine, the personality type of a good ER doctor, her recent TED talk about AI and the future of […]

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins John Williams to talk about the big trends surrounding the midterm elections. What are the big races that we should be paying the most attention to?

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!

Karen Kent, President of UNITE HERE Local 1, joins John Williams to talk about the biggest sticking point between hotel workers and the hotels, the current status of the negotiations, and the need for significant wage increases to compete with other cities.

36th Ward Alderman Gilbert Villegas joins John Williams to talk about Mayor Johnson’s proposed budget for 2027. Ald. Villegas tells John why he disagrees with Johnson about a corporate head tax, how raising taxes will ultimately be passed on to the consumer, and what he thinks the city needs to do to be more fiscally […]

Legendary sportswriter Peter King joins John Williams to discuss his new book, ‘The Game.’ Peter talks to John about his illustrious 40-year career covering the NFL, how the sport has changed throughout the years, how the game has surged in popularity since its humble beginnings, the way FOX reimagined covering the NFL, some of the […]

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 of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel. The Rascals start the podcast talking about Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial attack ad featuring his Democratic […]

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.

Carl Hulse, Chief Washington Correspondent, New York Times, joins John Williams to talk about how much he learned from covering local politics at the start of his career, what he sees as the biggest stories in the midterm elections, what states are likely to flip from R to D, why he’s paying close attention to […]

Michael O’Brien, Chicago Sun-Times High School Sports Editor, joins John Williams to preview the 2026 high school football playoffs. Who are the teams to beat in 8A and 7A? Michael offers some of his predictions.

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

Ron Brown, WGN Radio news anchor and reporter, joins John Williams to talk about AARP Illinois announcing that Illinois is being designated as an ‘Age-Friendly State.’

Michael Jacobson, President and CEO, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, joins John Williams to talk about the Chicago hotel workers strike, what’s holding up the negotiating process, how the bargaining works, what a typical hotel worker makes, the lucrative benefits that hotel workers receive, how disruptive this has been for hotel operations, and what needs to happen so […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about Jalen Hurts being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, and the importance of not sitting down for an extended period of time.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about a variety of topics that are making news including the Chicago hotel workers strike, the viral interaction between Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and a heckler at a town hall event over the weekend who identified himself as Tommy, the Chicago Tribune poll […]

Kyle Deaton, Kenosha resident and big Milwaukee Brewers fan, joins John Williams to share his disappointment with the Brewers organization about the way they have handled his 2015 purchase of the ‘Timeless Ticket.’

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. This week, Lou offers tips on applying fall fertilizer for your trees and shrubs. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

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

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!

Julia Mueller, campaign reporter, The Hill, joins John Williams to break down the most intriguing midterm races around the country. Julie tells John why we should be watching the Senate races in Texas, Alaska, and Maine.

Brian Fabes, managing director of the Corporate Coalition of Chicago and a senior fellow at NORC at the University of Chicago, joins John Williams to talk about his Tribune Op-ed where he breaks down why some people are still struggling even though economic data continues to be fairly strong.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about how Americans are bad at hydration and what you can do to make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day. And as always, Dawn answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

Steve Art, partner at Loevy & Loevy, joins John Williams to talk about the Chicago City Council approving a $260.8 million police misconduct settlement. Steve talks about who Loevy & Loevy represented in this case, how former Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara mistreated the plaintiffs in the case, how the system didn’t hold police officers […]

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, long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago,and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. This week the Rascals open the podcast talking about the biggest issue of the week…Kelly Clarkson v. Art of Play. Who is on Team […]

Thom Dillon, owner of JT Medicare Solutions, joins John Williams to tell us everything we need to know about Medicare Open Enrollment. Thom talks about what JT Medicare Solutions does for their clients, the importance of knowing your Medicare plan, the changes that you need to be aware of, his thoughts on Advantage plans, and how […]

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.

Matt Singer, editor and film critic of ScreenCrush.com, a member of the New York Film Critics Circle, and author of ‘Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever,’ joins John Williams to talk about why he decided to write this book, why audiences loved these types of films, what distinguished […]

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

Alex Anderson, Owner, Oswald’s Medical Supplies, talks to John about their longtime family business, the various type of medical supplies they sell, how medical supplies and equipment have changed over the years, their mantra of ‘you should try it before you buy it,’ their ability to repair equipment, the number one item they sell, if […]

Miriam Salinas, a pastry cook at the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago, joins John Williams to talk about why they are striking.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the health of Pope Leo, what we know about his lung surgery, how long the flu can typically affect a person, and to answer all of your health questions. (Note: This segment was recorded before news […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Chicago hotel workers being on strike, JB Pritzker and Darren Bailey facing off in a forum tonight, the Trump administration planning on livestreaming an execution, and the ABS system in the MLB playoffs.

As energy prices rise, Andrei Turea and his team at Green Attic Insulation are here to help make your home more energy efficient before winter. Andrei joined John Williams to explain to WGN Radio listeners how they do so, how long it takes, and more! https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8796542/8796542_2026-10-13-192042.64kmono.mp3 Learn more and request a free estimate at GreenAttic.com.

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

Michael O’Brien, Chicago Sun-Times High School Sports Editor, joins John Williams to talk about a number of prep football stories including Loyola’s great running back, Brother Rice’s outstanding freshman quarterback, the upcoming playoff brackets, and the big games to watch this weekend.

Local farmer John Andermann, President of the Will County Farm Bureau, joins John Williams to talk about how the harvest season is going right now, the precision of farming, the cost of a new combine, what an acre of land typically goes for in the area, how much a farmer can make on an acre of […]

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Today, Lou offers tips on how to control those pesky rodents that you are seeing around your house. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

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

The great Mr. Cat Dave Eanet joins John Williams to reflect on the life and legacy of legendary Bears coach Mike Ditka, who passed away at age 86.

Attorney Rich Lenkov, Capital Member of Downey Lenkov Milstein Kus, joins John Williams to talk about the death of Mike Ditka. Rich produced a documentary about the ’85 Bears. Watch “85: The Greatest Team In Football History” here.

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the unsurprising consumer sentiment data, the lingering inflation concerns, what areas of the stock market he’s bullish on, the volatility of the price of oil, and if he expects a relief rally after the midterm elections.

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!

The great broadcaster Wayne Larrivee joins John Williams to reflect on the life and legacy of legendary Bears coach Mike Ditka, who passed away at age 86. Larrivee, currently the voice of the Green Bay Packers, was WGN Radio’s play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Bears during their 1985 championship season including Super Bowl XX in […]

Dan Hampton joins John Williams to reflect on the life and legacy of Coach Mike Ditka, who passed away at the age of 86.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) joins John Williams to talk about the amount of immigration cases that have popped up in recent months, what he’s hearing about the administration deploying election monitors, his work securing the restoration of specialized LGBTQ services at the national crisis and suicide hotline, his work fighting discrimination, and if he thinks the Democrats will […]