Chris Holtmann, Head Coach, DePaul’s Men’s Basketball, joins John Williams to talk about the early success the team has had this year, how attendance has improved since he took the helm, how wins and losses impact his family, the work he’s doing to turn around the program, the importance of recruiting kids that are a good fit for DePaul, the challenge of dealing with the transfer portal, the progress the administration is making with NIL, and how he gets the players to perform after a tough loss.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou explains why now is the perfect time to check ALL the filters in your home.

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

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

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins John Williams to talk about the big stories of the week including Don Lemon being arrested, a new pick for Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Donald Trump posting about Alex Pretti.

Dr. Amar Pattani, family dentist at Main Street Smiles at 312 W Main Street in Barrington, joins John Williams to answer all of your general dentistry questions. Should you wet your toothbrush before applying toothpaste? Should you have a soft or firm toothbrush? How important is flossing? Dr. Pattani gives us all the answers.

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

Lyric Opera of Chicago Music Director Enrique Mazzola joins John Williams to talk about the job a conductor does, if he considers himself a performer, what we should know about the Lyric Opera, how it’s one of the most important cultural centers in the city, the importance of telling stories, how programming at the Lyric has attracted younger audiences, why the audience is a big part of the performance, and what we should expect when he conducts Così fan tutte this month. Check out the rest of the season’s highlights here.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the best and safest way to do a plank, the variety of sit up exercises you can do, and the best menu ideas for your Super Bowl party.

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 political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin the podcast talking about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota over the weekend. What were the biggest takeaways from the news this week? A Chicago teacher was placed on administrative leave after making a Facebook post supporting ICE. Do the Rascals think the teacher should have been put on leave? Also this week, the actor John Cusack wrote an op-ed in the Sun-Times about the need for paywall-free news coverage. Do the Rascals think newspapers should offer free content for major news stories? Next, the United Center will start selling THC drinks at concessions in early February. Where are the Rascals on offering THC beverages at the UC? Mayor Brandon Johnson is once again pushing for a progressive income tax. Do the Rascals believe this revenue proposal is a good idea? This leads into the race to replace Dick Durbin in the U.S. Senate. What candidate is likely to replace Senator Durbin? And finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light! What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?