John Williams

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature for 2026! Are you trying to come up with some quick getaway ideas that are only a quick trip from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head west to beautiful Princeton, Illinois and chat with Victoria Yepsen, Director of Tourism, City of Princeton! Victoria talks about how Princeton is an easy getaway for those in the Chicago, the charm and friendliness of the people that make up Princeton, the upcoming Bureau County Fair (that ends with a Demolition Derby!), why you shouldn’t miss the Homestead Festival in September, the unique, locally owned shops and restaurants, some of the other must-see attractions and why it’s the perfect escape from the city!

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, Steve Bertrand, host of the  Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals start the podcast talking about the CTU filing a defamation lawsuit against the Illinois Policy Institute (as well as our friend / Rascals contributor Austin Berg). What do the Rascals make of this lawsuit? Also on the local scene, Chicago mayoral candidate Alexi Giannoulias proposed a $22 minimum wage, Governor Pritzker donated a bunch of money to his re-election campaign, and Darren Bailey wants to make the tollway free. The Rascals break it all down. Also making local news this week, former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin filed a complaint with the Cook County inspector general accusing Treasurer Maria Pappas of intimidation and official misconduct after she sent him a series of profane tweets. Do the Rascals think that Pappas is a legitimate mayoral candidate? Nationally, a polling company folded after faking recent polls in Wisconsin and California. Do the Rascals think this is a big deal? In a speech this week, Senator Jon Ossoff mentioned President Trump aide Natalie Harp that has now put her in the media spotlight. Do we need to know more about Harp? And what about the rest of Ossoff’s speech? Is he a serious contender for the White House? The Rascals also wonder if President Trump would seriously consider using a nuclear bomb. On a lighter note, the Rascals end the show with red light, yellow light, green light! What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending or slightly 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. Today, Bob talks about the amount of rain we’ve been getting and offers some lawn cutting tips.

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

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the small uptick in COVID cases, how concerned we should be about the cyclospora outbreak, if the BRAT diet is still good for treating a stomach bug, and a new study that shows belly fat may be a better predictor of heart disease risk than BMI. Dr. Kopin also answers your medical questions.

Kelly Leonard, Vice President, Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City and host of the “Getting to Yes, And…” podcast, joins John Williams to talk about his recent podcast with writer David Epstein about the new book, ‘Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better.’ David suggests that constraints can actually help you become more creative and successful. Also, Kelly recently turned 60 and his son commissioned Kelly’s friends to submit a song that reminded them of Kelly. Check it out here.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the CTU suing the Illinois Policy Institute (and our friend Austin Berg), Governor JB Pritzker putting more money into his reelection fund, and how polling impacts voter behavior.

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

Mark Eddington joins John Williams to talk about a real estate scam that could have been catastrophic. Mark explains how a fraudster tried to sell their property in Michigan from under them.