Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the importance of a balanced diet, why she sometimes likes a ‘no lettuce’ salad, her thoughts on chia seeds, and what you should know about seed oils and beef tallow. Dawn also answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, John is joined by Tricia Menke, Events and Outreach Coordinator at the Illinois Railway Museum! Tricia tells John what we should know about the museum, their mission to educate people about trains and railroad history, how they are a ‘museum in motion,’ the annual Bunny Trolley Hop, how you can acquire tickets, and some of the other big events they have planned for the year.

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, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute (sign up for his new Substack!), and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start off the podcast discussing yesterday’s election results. What were the big takeaways from the results in Wisconsin and Florida? President Trump earlier this week said he is open to serving a third term. Is this just another distraction? The White House Correspondents’ Association cancelled plans to feature comedian Amber Ruffin at its annual dinner. Was this a capitulation to the Trump administration? The CTU and CPS have reached a tentative deal on a new contract. Is this a big win for CTU? Mayor Johnson announced he’s picking Anthony Joel Quezada to fill the 35th Ward aldermanic vacancy. Why does Austin have an issue with the mayor handpicking a member of the City Council. President Trump announced new tariffs this afternoon. Do the Rascals believe this will help or hurt the economy? The Rascals close the podcast today with “The Big Beef!” What has been bothering the Rascals recently?

Joe Khalil, NewsNation’s Washington, D.C. correspondent, joins John Williams to tell us the big takeaways from the elections across the country yesterday.

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about car loans and interest rates, if people use HELOCs to buy cars, his thoughts on the impact of tariffs on the economy and the housing market, and why homeowners insurance is going up. Oh, and take a trip with David to Normandy!

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.

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. Bob explains how the rain is helping saturate the ground and why you should mow your lawn if it needs it. Also, can you put down fertilizer right now?

Todd Navarrete, Platform General Manager of Bettenhausen Automotive of Tinley Park, Lockport, Orland Park, and Bettenhausen Mobility, joins John Williams to talk about how business has been going the last few days, the sense of urgency in the market, the top selling cars at their dealerships, how their vehicles would be impacted by proposed tariffs, what customers are saying on the showroom floor, and why it’s a great time to buy or lease a vehicle.

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

Kevin Byrnes, co-founder, Byrnes & Walsh, joins John Williams to talk about a recent conversation John had with Minooka mayor Ric Offerman about the possibility of landing a new data center in the village. Kevin discusses his work appraising data centers, what would motivate a town to want a data center, the amount of money that companies pay for the land, and how water is typically used for data centers.