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! And today, we head north to Wisconsin as John is joined by Savannah Schindler, Public Relations Specialist for Visit Beloit. Savannah tells John about how far Beloit is from the Chicago area, the boutique hotels in downtown Beloit, where you can eat and drink during your stay, and the fun activities you can do while you visit like seeing Beloit’s minor league baseball team, checking out live music at Harry’s Place, or visiting the Downtown Beloit Street Dance. Sound good? If so, enter the Summer Getaway Sweepstakes.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the importance of gut health, why you should eat 1 cup of leafy greens each day, and how gut health is connected to brain health. Dawn also answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about their favorite story, meme, etc. about Pope Leo XIV. Are we pope’d out yet? As usual, plenty of news about the Trump administration this week. The gift of the plane from Qatar, the attempt to assert control of the Library of Congress, Trump meme coin. What’s an attraction and what’s a distraction? Former Chicago resident Ken Griffin said he will loan his copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. John wonders if the current Constitution as written is still a relevant document. CNN’s Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson from Axios are making news this week as excerpts from their book about President Biden’s decline are starting to come out. What do the Rascals make of these stories about Biden’s competency and behavior? And will we eventually hear similar stories about Donald Trump when his term is over? In a couple of interviews this week, Mayor Brandon Johnson is still denying he fired Dr. Allison Arwady despite evidence to the contrary. Why is Johnson still saying Dr. Arwady quit? And now that Johnson is two years in, what are the major takeaways from his term so far. And finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light! What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?

New York Times best-selling author Dave Barry joins John Williams to discuss his new book, “Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up.” Dave talks about how he comes up with ideas of what to write about, the types of stories that most resonate with people, humor often coming from a place of pain, some of the subjects that he’s written about that he’s most proud of, and his appearance tomorrow in Chicago.

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 reminds us that we are still way behind on water and you should still be watering those evergreens!

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

Jimmy and Rosa Soto join John Williams in-studio to talk about their incredible story that was documented in the Tribune last week. Jimmy spent 42 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Jimmy and Rosa discuss how this has impacted their lives, their thoughts on police corruption and the criminal justice system, what drove them to keep pushing forward, how Jimmy started studying law, the policy work Jimmy does now, why we should not be investing in new prisons, and what eventually led to his release.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about President Trump’s new pick for surgeon general, Zepbound beating Wegovy for weight loss in the first head-to-head trial of blockbuster drugs, and measles cases still rising.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about President Trump’s plan to take a jet from Qatar, Mayor Brandon Johnson continuing to say he did not fire Dr. Allison Arwady, his thoughts on the effectiveness of acupuncture, and the debate over dandelions.