John Williams

Michael Evans Behling, star of The CW’s hit drama ‘All American,’ joins John Williams to to talk about how many times he’s been to the Chicago area having grown up in the Midwest, what the show ‘All American’ is all about, the transitions in the show over the course of 8 seasons, his experience running track & field in college at Indiana State, when he became interested in acting, his role in the Chicago-set series ‘Empire,’ the support he received from his family when he decided to pursue acting, and how the belief in himself and his perseverance has positively impacted his career.

America’s Toy Scout, Joel Magee, joins John Williams to take some calls and answer questions about your old toys. Do you have any collectibles sitting around that house that could be worth money? Joel has the answers. Joel will be in the Chicago area this week and you can find all the details here.

Niall Stanage, White House Reporter, The Hill, joins John Williams to talk break down President Trump’s speech about election interference.

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes 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 talks to John about the best temperature to set your thermostat at for maximum efficiency and how to improve the indoor air quality in your home.

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

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature for 2026! Are you trying to come up with some quick getaway ideas that are only a quick trip from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head up to beautiful Grand Rapids and chat with John Vanderhaagen, Director of Communications at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park! John talks about the easy drive to Grand Rapids from the Chicago area, the current Chihuly at Meijer Gardens exhibition, the unique things about Chihuly’s work, the way Chihuly was able to master the materials, what else you can see at the Frederik Meijer Gardens, the summer concert series that runs through September, and all the other great things to do this summer in Grand Rapids.

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

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 (on his birthday), Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack and Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast by talking about government transparency regarding the health and welfare of our elected officials, in light of Senator Mitch McConnell’s recent hospitalization. The group then touches on the ballot-access rules concerning Chicago politicians ability to get their name on the ballot in election years and the pro’s and con’s of the requirements and possible loopholes in the process. Next, The Rascals discuss ICE agent body-cam initiatives that may or may not be as strictly enforced as the public has noticed and the accountability of immigration officers using deadly force. To close out the conversation, the group talks about the county succession movement and the gerrymandering of the state of Illinois, the Father Pflager allegation saga, and a ‘Red light – Yellow light – Green light‘ round to end today’s show.

Dr. Chitaru Kurihara, thoracic surgeon and surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Northwestern Medicine, joins John Williams to share details surrounding the first known quadruple-organ transplant involving retransplanted lung that Northwestern surgeons performed.