John Williams

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 guide to pesticides in fruits and vegetables. And as always, Dawn answers all of your food and nutrition questions.

Lawrence Colburn, owner of Preservation in Geneva, joins John Williams to talk about his contemporary American restaurant, why he decided to open a restaurant in Geneva after working downtown, the gorgeous outdoor space at the restaurant, the accessible wine list, his favorite dishes at the restaurant, what he expects for business during the upcoming summer season, and how the restaurant scene in Geneva is unrivaled in the suburbs.

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 talk a trip west and visit Allamakee County in Iowa! Val Reinke, the Executive Director of Allamakee County Economic
Development & Tourism, tells John about where Allamakee County is located, why being in the center of the driftless region is so unique, the communities that make up Allamakee County, the biggest attractions in the area, the breathtaking views along the Mississippi River, the best places to stay when you visit, the popularity of fishing and birdwatching in the county, where you should eat and drink, and why it’s a great place to unplug and relax. Sound good? Well, go to the WGN Radio Contest page and enter to win a getaway package!

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

After 4 weeks of voting on 160 Chicago pizza places, 128 Mom & Pops and 32 Local Chains, the polls are closed and we have our 2026 Chicago Pizza Madness Champions.

Chicago’s Very Own Eats co-host and WGN Radio bracketologist Michael Piff joined John Williams and Andy Masur to announce and call the winners. Listen below:

Congrats to Bartolini’s of Midlothian for winning our Mom and Pops Championship, and Rosati’s for winning our Local Chains Championship! We also appreciate Uncle Jerry’s and Antioch Pizza Shop, and the communities that support them, for all of their work, energy and enthusiasm to make the runs that they did in our 2026 Tournament.

And thank you to our sponsor, Chicago Brick Oven, for their support throughout our tournament. For round-by-round results in both “Mom & Pops” and “Local Chains” brackets, go to our main 2026 Chicago Pizza Madness page.

Updated brackets are below:

For more on Chicago Pizza Madness and all things Chicago food, subscribe 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.

The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and Steve Bertrand, host of the ‘Steve Bertrand on Books‘ podcast. This week’s John Williams-less podcast begins with the gang discussing the murder of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman. Next, the Rascals talk about Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke pushing back on the effort to name a special prosecutor to investigate the federal agents behind Operation Midway Blitz. This weekend there will be ‘No Kings’ rallies in cities across the country. Do the Rascals believe that one-day protests accomplish anything? Speaking of protesting, the CTU wants students to have a day off on May 1st to engage in civil engagement. Are the Rascals on board with the idea? There have been some firings at Chicago City Hall recently. Is the administration in disarray? And we are less than a year away from the next mayoral election in Chicago. The Rascals share some of their early thoughts. And finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light! What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse.

Sam Panayotovich, Fox Sports Betting Analyst and co-host of the sports betting show “Chicken Dinner,” joins John Williams to break down the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. Sam also gives some thoughts on the upcoming MLB season.

We are ‘Keeping it Green’ with 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. Will last week’s freeze cause damage? And when will you start to see your plants pop? Is it still to early to seed?

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