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:

40 Ways To Celebrate The New Year In Chicago: Parties, Fireworks, Fine Dining And Family Fun: Celebrate the new year with midnight ball drops, fireworks shows, festive dining, packed ballrooms, daytime family fests and more citywide.

Block Club’s 10 Most Popular Stories Of 2025: From federal agents descending on a South Shore apartment to the sweetest melons in town, here’s what resonated with Block Club readers in 2025.

President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Steve Bernas joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to share details about fake job texts and how you can avoid getting scammed from holiday gift exchanges and returns. He also talks about whether or not you should pick up spam calls and how you can research a business using the BBB website.

Paul Nolte, Senior Wealth Advisor & Market Strategist for Murphy & Sylvest, joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to talk about what people should review in their financial accounts for the new year and if more jobs will be created in 2026. He also explains how people can save for retirement while supporting their adult children living at home and the state of the economy heading into the new year.

On December 30th, 2025, Ryan Burrow shares today’s potential market drivers:

Chief Medical Officer at Central DuPage Hospital Dr. Tom Moran joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to talk about a study that looks at the benefits of light drinking and whether or not coffee is good for your heart. He also discusses how to boost your dopamine in the morning and how natural daylight could help improve blood sugar for diabetics.

Jon Hansen, host and executive producer of the Block Club Chicago Podcast, joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. Jon has details on:

Where To Recycle Your Christmas Trees And Lights In Chicago: You can bring your Christmas tree to one of 27 city parks Jan. 3-17 to be turned into mulch. Plus, here are 42 locations to drop off broken holiday lights.

What’s Next For Steelworkers Park? Neighbors, City Officials Begin Planning Its Future: Park District officials and dozens of neighbors gathered to kick off a framework plan for the lakefront park in South Chicago. The plan will be a guide for future improvements as funding becomes available.

Dean Richards, entertainment reporter for WGN, joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to provide the latest news in entertainment. Wendy and Dean talk about the death of Brigitte Bardot and “Big Brother” contestant Mickey Lee. They also take a look back at some of Dean’s favorite interviews of 2025, which include Rob Reiner and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as a “Seinfeld” reunion and a new Chevy Chase documentary.

Social media influencer Rob Kenney joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to talk about how he began his YouTube channel Dad, how do I? and how he comes up with ideas for videos. He also explains why he started his channel and who taught him all the skills he teaches.

On December 29th, 2025, Ryan Burrow shares today’s potential market drivers:

UIC Adjunct Lecturer and historian Wally Podrazik joins WGN Radio’s Dave Plier, along with Ryan Burrow, Mark Carman and Amanda Czarnecki look back at the notable figures we lost in 2025 including Rob Reiner, James Lovell, Brian Wilson, Diane Keaton, George Wendt, Ryne Sandberg, Roberta Flack, Charlie Kirk, Sister Jean, Hulk Hogan and more.