John Williams

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob says that we will still see some good fall colors this year!

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the impact of a government shutdown, U.S. private companies losing 32,000 jobs in September, what you need to know about a HELOC, and to answer all of your real estate and mortgage questions.

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.

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

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about why workplace values are holding up some younger workers.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins Jon to talk about new trend where companies are either holding on to seasoned CEOs in their later 60s and even 70s or opting to put much younger tech-savvy or visionary millennials in the top job. The result is leaving many Gen X wanna-be top executives in limbo.

Segment 3: Tim Stearns, owner and president of TJ Stearns Financial Planning & Benefits, joins Jon Hansen on a ‘Tuesdays with Tim’ to talk about retirement planning for Gen X. How many Americans believe they are behind on retirement savings? Tim offers suggestions on how you can build up your retirement savings and build a portfolio that will help you feel secure.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the importance of pregnant women getting their doctor recommended vaccinations, why flu-related encephalopathies are on the rise, ‘nightmare bacteria’ cases increasing in the U.S., and a drug made from marijuana reducing back pain.

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

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about U.S. Border Patrol agents marching in downtown Chicago over the weekend. Why does Eric think the administration is doing this? Is this just the first step of the Trump administration not giving up power?

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou says it’s time to do any exterior painting and caulking before the winter cold comes. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions.

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

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 a recent podcast discussion he had with Colin M. Fischer about his new book, “The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups.” Kelly explains the origin of the term ‘psychological safety,’ and why it’s a key component to building a successful team.

Marge Sipla, Speed Jokes spirit animal, cataloger and Member of the Speed Jokes Committee, joins John Williams and the gang to give us her favorite Speed Jokes of September 2025! What was your favorite joke this month? Keep sending your jokes to [email protected]