Bob Sirott

Shamus Toomey, Editor in Chief and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Bob Sirott to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. Shamus has details on:

Uncle Remus Founder Celebrates 100th Birthday With West Side Giveaway, Foundation Launch: Gus Rickette Sr. was born in Mississippi in 1926. After moving to Chicago as a teenager, Rickette worked his way up to opening the West Side’s preeminent fried chicken chain.

59 Apartments Could Replace Shuttered Edgewater Hospital Site: Kora Development wants to build a five-story apartment building on the former site of Kindred Hospital on Sheridan Road.

Alface, The Shedd’s New 2-Toed Sloth, Is Ready To Meet Chicagoans: After exploring her new habitat since her arrival at the Shedd almost a year ago, Alface is now making public appearances at aquarium pop-ups and after-hours events.

Back To School With Block Club: Learn how you can help to provide books to CPS students.

Sponsored by Great Lakes Credit Union – Committed to financially empowering local communities. For more info go to GLCU.org.

Owner of Deep Roots Native Nursery Jake Hayes, joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to talk about how he started his business and how he started growing the plants. He also shares a couple of ways to get rid of buckthorn and answers listeners’ questions.

Anna Davlantes, WGN Radio’s investigative correspondent, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for Bob Sirott, to share what happened this week in Chicago history. Stories include the debut of Ringling Bros. at Soldier Field and the induction of Ernie Banks in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Karen Conti, Chicago trial attorney, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for Bob Sirott, to talk about the jury selection for the Tupac Shakur murder trial and a Texas law that bans the sale of halal foods and the wearing of hijabs in public schools. She also shares details about a lawsuit against Gibson’s Steakhouse in Oak Brook and more laws that Governor Pritzker signed last week.

On August 12th, 2026, Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers:

Paul Nolte, Senior Wealth Advisor & Market Strategist for Murphy & Sylvest, joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to talk about what you should do first if you win a large sum of money and the latest jobs report numbers. He also explains what the state of the economy was like during the pandemic in 2020 and the fluctuation of food prices.

Consumer technology journalist and host of WGN Radio’s Techishly Jenn, Jennifer Jolly, joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to talk about how she uses ChatGPT to save on school supplies and how you can create your daily schedule with AI. She also shares how much is typically spent on back-to-school gadgets and how you can get the best deals.

Jen Sabella, the Director of Strategy and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. She provides details on:

Back To School With Block Club: Learn how you can help to provide books to CPS students.

Congress Theater Rave Goes Viral — But Alderman Says Party Could Slow Theater Redevelopment: Organizers of the Saturday party called it a celebration of rave culture, but Ald. Daniel La Spata said the cleanup hinders efforts by the city and the theater owner to keep the renovation moving forward.

Viral Videos Blame City For Residents’ Flooding Woes — But Can Anything Be Done?: While the issue has not risen to the level of the city’s failed response to the 1979 blizzard, when poor snow removal helped sweep Jane Byrne into power, flooding has clearly struck a chord with impacted Chicagoans.

Chef Rick Bayless’ Incredible Home Garden A Hidden Gem In Bucktown: The backyard of the acclaimed Chicago chef’s home is a true production garden that yields hundreds of pounds of produce for his restaurants — and you can tour it.

Sponsored by Great Lakes Credit Union – Committed to financially empowering local communities. For more info go to GLCU.org.

Blockbuster Blake Stubbs joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to talk about what Brad Pitt thinks about AI in Hollywood movies and the work that he’s done with AI. He also shares details about the death of Tedde Moore and the “Game of Thrones” play in England.

On August 11th, 2026, Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: