John Williams

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins John Williams to give us the latest update on the Lindsay Clancy trial.

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to [email protected]!

Mr. Cat, Dave Eanet, joins John Williams and Andy Masur to preview the upcoming Northwestern football season! Go Cats!

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the importance of magnesium rich foods, why you should get your blood work done (and understanding the numbers!), a famous toast recipe, and to answer all of your health and nutrition questions.

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature for 2026! Are you trying to come up with some getaway ideas that are only a quick trip from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we take a short drive up to Wisconsin and chat with Christine Rebout, Executive Director, Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau! Christine tells us how easy it is to get to Janesville from the Chicago area, some of the best places to visit in the fall including Hawk’s Orchard and the Rotary Botanical Gardens, the variety of spots to eat and drink when you visit, the nice selection of lodging in Janesville, and the great fall activities and events taking place this year. Visit the contest page at WGN Radio for your chance to win a weekend of fun in Janesville!

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, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast by congratulating Rascal Brandon Pope on his new gig at FOX32! Congrats, BP! Now, to the news. The controversy surrounding Flock cameras continues to make headlines. What are the Rascals thoughts on the technology? Next, the Rascals dig into Chicago crime statistics. President Trump and some candidates for Chicago mayor are saying the city isn’t doing enough to tackle crime. What do the Rascals think? President Trump continues his quest to rename things. Last week, it was Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America,’ and today it was Strait of Hormuz to ‘Trump Strait.’ What’s going on here? And what about Trump’s efforts to squash mail-in voting? Is this something we should be concerned about heading towards the midterm elections? Austin is being sued for defamation by the CTU and will update us soon on what’s going on. Austin also tells us about a new poll of city workers that shows Mayor Johnson losing support from rank and file teachers, and what we should know about the upcoming Chicago school board election. And speaking of Mayor Johnson, do the Rascals expect him to announce a reelection campaign on September 13th? On a lighter note, Cate explains why she has had enough of Chicago’s recent Malört obsession! And finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light. What are the Rascals recommending or not recommending this week?

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. Bob says lawns are doing great with recent rains, but make sure to keep an eye out for fungus with all the heat and humidity.

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to explain what’s going on with Treasury yields, how the war in Iran has been impacting the economy, today’s ADP data, what is expected from Friday’s August labor report, and the risks and rewards of paying off your home with a HELOC.

David hosts “Home Sweet Home Chicago” on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm on WGN Radio. You can call him at 855-56-David, or check out the Team Hochberg website.

Cathy Adduci, Village President, River Forest, joins John Williams to talk about why some residents of River Forest are not on board with the plan for the O’Hare Flyer, a high speed train that will get you from downtown to O’Hare Airport in 15 minutes.