John Williams

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 long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about the Chicago Bears beating the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs and head coach Ben Johnson’s celebration after the victory. Do the Rascals think Johnson acted appropriately? Next, the Rascals discuss Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski releasing an ad featuring Joe Abraham, the father of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunken-driving accident by an undocumented immigrant. What do the Rascals make of the ad? Will this ad move the needle in the Republican primary? This leads into a discussion about President Trump threatening to cut off funds to sanctuary cities and their states starting next month. The Rascals then break down the latest news about the killing of Renee Good and other ICE activities in Minneapolis. Should it be legal to take a video of a federal law enforcement official who is trying to do the job? Also, what’s going on with Greenland (and hot dog carts)? And finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light. What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?

Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, joins John to explain why there are no licensed hot dog carts in Chicago.

Longtime Chicago radio veteran Harvey Wells, founder, Lower Tech Bills, talks to John about how he helps customers lower their internet, cell phone, and television costs. Today, Harvey tells us about some of the benefits of Amazon Prime, where you will be able to watch and stream all of the NFL playoff games this weekend, what to know about the fight between cell phone services, and a new scam that you should be aware of.

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

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the strong market performance so far this year, what he anticipates for interest rates this year, the positive economic news coming out recently, and what you should know about new 2026 tax rules.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the amount of flu cases they are seeing at the hospital, the importance of getting your flu shot, other ways you can help protect yourself from illness like getting enough sleep, and the promising early results for Wegovy’s weight loss pill.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about his beautiful tribute to his father, Jens, who recently passed away. Eric also talks about ex-mayor Lori Lightfoot’s credit card debt, and Ben Johnson’s behavior after the Bears victory over the Green Bay Packers.

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

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou, once again, explains what you need to know about recycling single use batteries. Lou also says there is still some household cleanup that you can take advantage of before it gets really cold again.

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