John Williams

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

After 4 weeks of voting on 128 Chicago area pizza places, with more than 95,000 votes casted by WGN Radio listeners and pizza lovers, we have a new Chicago Pizza Madness Champion!

The championship was down to Uncle Jerry’s from the North Region and Rosati’s from the Local Chain Region. Jon Hansen was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast host and WGN Radio bracketologist Michael Piff to announce and call the winner on WGN Radio! Listen below:

Congratulations to Rosati’s for winning this year’s tournament, joining Georgio’s (2023) and Antioch Pizza Shop (2024) as Chicago Pizza Madness Champions!

Graphic and photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio

Also, congrats to Uncle Jerry’s Pizza Company for making the championship for a 2nd year in a row. Ahead of National Deep Dish Day this weekend, you have to go try them 133 W Main St, Cary, IL.

For round-by-round results, check back to our main Chicago Pizza Madness page. Stay updated on all things Chicago food by subscribing to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.

Musician John Cowsill joins Wendy Snyder to talk about his original band The Cowsills, how the band was the inspiration for ‘The Partridge Family,’ the new music he recorded with his wife Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), his appearance on the Tommy Tutone classic, ‘867-5309/Jenny,’ his work with the Beach Boys, and being one of the new vocalists for The Smithereens. John will be with The Smithereens when they play a show at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts in Skokie on April 25th! Tickets here.

Author Jayne Mattingly joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to discuss her new book, “This Is Body Grief: Making Peace with the Loss That Comes with Living in a Body.” Jayne talks about the moment her ‘body stopped working,’ how her life changed when she lost the ability to walk, why we are conditioned to say, ‘sorry,’ how writing the book helped in her own life, when she realized she wanted to help people, and the importance of listening to your body.

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to answer all of your lawn and garden questions.

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

Cathie Smith, owner, G.M. Smith and Son Realtors, joins John Williams to talk about their family history in Villa Park, their family being the first real estate office in Villa Park, the wonderful small businesses that are in Villa Park, and what she loves about being in a close-knit community like Villa Park.

John Paul Demirdjian Sr., owner and chef visionary behind The Captain’s Room in Villa Park, joins John Williams to talk about signature hot sauce Captain Demo’s Red Hot Pepper Sauces, how the hot sauce was discovered by the one and only Lou Manfredini, the historic building that houses The Captain’s Room, the popular menu items at the restaurant, and how business has been going since The Captain’s Room opened in September 2024.

Coupon code 25% off with WGN2025 for all WGN Radio listeners at https://www.captaindemos.com/discount/WGN2025. And see John Paul’s recent appearance on WGN-TV here!

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) joins John Williams to talk about the Signal chat group leak, the vulnerability of using Signal, his concern that no one has taken accountability for the mistake, the danger of sharing classified material of a military operation, and why he believes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should resign.

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, we take our appetite across the border and visit with the always delightful Stephanie Klett, President and CEO, Visit Lake Geneva! Stephanie tells us everything we need to know about the upcoming Lake Geneva Restaurant Week! Stay for a bit and dine your way around the lake!