John Williams

Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, joins John Williams to talk about some newspapers not endorsing presidential candidates. Jane calls the decision by papers like the Washington Post to not make an endorsement ‘cowardice.’ Jane believes many of the owners of these newspapers don’t have a clear picture of the role of what a newspaper should be.

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

John Coli, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 727, joins John Williams to talk about Pepsi abruptly closing their bottling plant on the South Side early this morning. John explains how employees found out that the plant was permanently closing, the wages a typical worker at the plant earned, what he’s hearing from his members, and if he believes the closing of the plant had anything to do with the union authorizing a strike earlier this year.

WGN’s Jon Hansen joined John Williams on ‘The Bright Side’ late last week to announce that he and his husband Enrique will be expecting a baby next March! Today, Jon tells John about the fascinating process of using IVF, egg donor, and a surrogate to welcome an addition to their family.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John to announce that he’ll be staying at WGN for years to come! WGN Radio today announced a contract extension with Lou, the station’s do-it-yourself expert. We are also excited to announce that Lou will be chatting with John every Monday and will answer all of your home improvement questions. What should you be working on this week?

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].

WGN Radio morning traffic anchor Vikki Kokuzian has spent basically her entire adult life in media. A career that saw stops at FOX 32, WGN TV, and of course WGN Radio, Vikki is officially turning off her microphone. When she wasn’t on screen, or behind a microphone, the West Ridge neighborhood native was an active realtor. As she shifts her focus to her family and the real estate business, Vikki gets farewell messages from Bob Sirott, John Williams, and plenty of listeners.

Jeanne Massey, Executive Director, FairVote MN, joins John Williams to talk about the power and value of ranked-choice voting. Jeanne explains why this method is a more equitable way of voting, and how the current race would play out if we adopted ranked-choice voting.

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

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about her new Pumpkin Banana Bread recipe and some other fun and healthy ways to use canned pumpkin. And, as always, Dawn answers all of your nutrition questions.