Phil Castello, owner, The Side Lot in Wauconda, joins John Williams to talk about how the Side Lot is coming on nine years in business, their focus on local beers, the challenges of working in the hospitality industry, why they came up with the name, their popular dinner and wine events, and why they still keep Hamm’s beer on draft!

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! Today, we head to charming Princeton, Illinois and chat with Victoria Yepsen, the Tourism Director for Princeton! Victoria talks about how Princeton is an easy drive from Chicago (and accessible via Amtrak!), what people do when they visit, the big events and festivals they have coming up this summer, the bustling arts & culture scene in Princeton, the best places to eat, drink and shop when you visit, and the unique places to stay in the area.

Click here for a chance to win a Princeton getaway for four that includes an overnight stay, dinner and more.

Craig Bolanos, Co-Founder and CEO of Wealth Management Group, joins John to talk about how many interest rate cuts he thinks we’ll see this year, a second-quarter GDP report that showed the economy growing, why he believes the Fed has done a good job curbing inflation, what he makes of today’s market rally, how he anticipates the markets moving through the election, and if he believes we have over-estimated AI.

Call Craig now to see how your spending, savings, investing, impacts your chances of always having the money you need for the life you want. 833-WMG PLAN.

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, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, Cate Plys, former staff writer at the Chicago Reader, and political op-ed columnist at the Sun-Times and Tribune, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about President Biden announcing on Sunday that he would not run for another term. Where were the Rascals when they heard the news? Is Vice President Harris the right person to run against Donald Trump? And who do the Rascals believe Harris will pick to be her running mate? And speaking of running mates, the Rascals discuss the choice of JD Vance to be Trump’s running mate. Do the Rascals believe Vance was the right choice to join the ticket? Next, the Rascals discuss the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson inside her Springfield, Illinois home. Austin believes this officer was clearly unfit to be a police officer. What do the other Rascals think of how the officer involved in the shooting acted?

Dr. Carrie Steiner, a licensed clinical psychologist currently in private practice as a police and public service psychologist, joins John Williams to talk about the police shooting of Sonya Massey. Dr. Steiner shares her thoughts on how the police handled the situation, why she believes the officer felt threatened, what the ‘use-of-force continuum’ means, and if she believes the shooting was justified.

Mark Lach, Creative Director for “Titanic: The Exhibition,” and Ted Wachholz, Executive Director, Eastland Disaster Historical Society, join John Williams to talk about the 109th anniversary of the Eastland disaster, what we should remember about the tragedy, and its connection to the Titanic.

Video from an April visit by Mark Lach to WGN Radio:

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 talks about how the combination of rain and hot weather has brought on a rise in lawn disease.

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

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about hospitals taking care of an aging population, the importance of having an advance directive for medical care, what we need to know about the current COVID guidelines, and when should we get the next booster shot.