The Mincing Rascals this week are Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and the The Last Ward, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room. The Rascals begin the podcast talking about the Cook County Sheriff’s Office stepping up enforcement for illegally riding on expressway shoulders. The Rascals offer their suggestions on what the punishment should be for illegally driving on the shoulder. The Texas National Guard arrived in the Chicago area this week. What is the most concerning aspect of this move by the Trump administration? And where do we go from here? Jesse Jackson Jr. is launching bid to return to Congress after serving 30 months in prison for campaign finance fraud. Do the Rascals think he has a chance to win the race? Today, Rolling Stone released their ‘Best Songs of the 21st century’ list. The Rascals debate the choices. And finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light. What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins Jon Hansen to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Did we get enough rain last weekend?

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

Dr. Sindhu Aderson, Central Region Medical Director of Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the CDC dropping universal COVID vaccine recommendations. What’s the latest vaccine guidance for Illinois? Dr. Aderson also answers all of your medical questions!

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the Texas National Guard arriving in Chicago, what happens now that the Texas National Guard has been deployed, if he thinks President Trump will invoke the Insurrection Act, and the latest on the government shutdown. Is a deal on the shutdown imminent?

Jeff Mauro, host of Sandwich King & The Kitchen on Food Network, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about ‘An Evening with Jeff Mauro‘ taking place on Thursday at the College of DuPage. Jeff talks about how lucky we are to live in such a great city for sandwiches, why he never leaves the house without a little cash just in case he needs a sandwich, all the various projects he’s involved with, his favorite type of pasta, and the transformative power of food. Get tickets to the event at College of DuPage here.

Charlie Roumeliotis, Chicago Blackhawks studio host for WGN Radio, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, and Andy Masur to preview the upcoming Blackhawks season. What should Blackhawks fans be paying attention to as the season kicks off tonight in Florida?

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

Chicago radio legend Kevin Matthews joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about his documentary film, ‘Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story.’ Kevin talks about the genesis of this story, when he started working on this documentary film, the importance of faith in his life, and the role that faith plays in his life now. For tickets to this event in the theater, click here.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou says that now is the time to check under your sink for any leaks. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions.

Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.