The Lake Forest Podcast

🍺 For more than 20 years, Teddy O's was the North Shore's living room — a Highwood institution where Lake Forest, Highland Park, and Highwood all came to meet for live music, good food, and a good night out. Now Ted Banick, the longtime owner, is fighting to reopen it at 432 Sheridan Road, and more than 2,100 people have signed a petition backing him.🎙️ Ted joins Pete Jansons and Jeff Urso to tell his side — 22 years of history, the community pushing for the reopening, and the hurdles he says he's hit trying to get the doors open again. We document. You decide.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:🍺 0:00 — What happened to Teddy O's?🎸 4:20 — 20+ years of live music and why it mattered🧱 6:17 — "I can't even get a conversation"🔄 17:54 — What changed in 30 days🎤 23:18 — The city manager's statement📄 33:41 — The affidavit, on the record🗳️ 57:40 — What happens now🎬 59:18 — We document. You decide.📺 Subscribe:    / @lakeforestpodcast  🌐 Visit: https://www.lakeforestpodcast.com🎵 Album — Division Street of the North Shore: https://open.spotify.com/album/4mwqat...📧 Contact: [email protected]#LakeForestPodcast #PeteJansons #JeffUrso #TeddyOBrians #Highwood#LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #LakeCountyIL #60045 #NorthShoreChicago#LiveMusic #LocalPolitics #SmallTownPolitics #LakeForestNews #LiveMusicHighwood

🍺 For years, Lake Forest residents crossed into Highwood for places like Teddy O'Brian's. This week a packed Highwood City Council meeting reopened a bigger question: what kind of downtowns do North Shore communities actually want? 🏛️ Ted Banick spoke publicly about reopening Teddy O'Brian's at 432 Sheridan Rd — referencing the earlier April 21 meeting, a 1,300+ signature petition, his relationship with the Lenardi family, and his request to be placed on the next agenda. The City then responded on the record with their perspective on the location's history and what they're looking for moving forward. 🎙️ We let the actual meeting audio do most of the talking, then Jeff and Pete dig into the bigger picture — small business, downtown culture, nightlife, liquor licensing, and what makes a town vibrant instead of empty. 🗳️ We document. You decide. 🎵 Today's album — "The Constraint Is Vision and Trust" — on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4AX8GuAkaKZYj7pyi8sz2C ----------------------------------------------------------------⏰ TIMESTAMPS ----------------------------------------------------------------🎬 0:00 Cold open — "we had Ted on last week"🏛️ 0:40 The packed council room — what the City said🍺 1:14 Why Highwood fears Teddy O's "reignited"🎤 2:00 Ted Banick's full public-input statement✍️ 5:04 The 1,300+ signature petition🏙️ 6:34 The City responds on the record⚖️ 7:16 42 liquor licenses & the affidavit dispute🔥 8:46 "More time and expense than all the others combined"🤝 9:14 "We need good-faith collaboration on both ends"💡 10:58 Empty storefronts & the Amazon/DoorDash era🍸 15:21 Liquor license math — local vs. state, dram shop🍔 17:17 The food-vs-booze margin game🚚 19:14 "Put a food truck on that patio"☀️ 22:45 "Sunlight is the best disinfectant"🎯 23:41 Theory of constraints — vision & trust⭐ 24:42 The #1 rule in the bar business📉 25:17 Why service is worse in 2026🏘️ 31:26 Small business is 99% of the downtown vibe🙌 32:12 Shout-out to the Lake Forest permitting process🎪 34:03 How Lake Bluff runs community events⛵ 36:43 Greentown on the Rocks & Waukegan Harbor🏖️ 38:36 The Lake Bluff yacht club teardown fight🚗 39:33 Buy your beach sticker / license plate readers🏫 40:55 D67 board meeting notes🎓 55:23 The 1892 school model & the trades🤖 57:38 AI, college value, and the skill-saw analogy🏳️‍🌈 1:01:04 The Lake Bluff pride flag question🍻 1:04:38 Bensen's, Lake Forest Baseball & wrap 🎙️ The Lake Forest Podcast — neighbors talking about what's going on in town. Unfiltered, unscripted, unpolished.📧 Got a tip? [email protected]📞 Press/Tips: 847-922-4776🔴 Subscribe: @lakeforestpodcast🌐 lakeforestpodcast.com🎙️ Patreon: patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast #LakeForestPodcast #PeteJansons #JeffUrso #SkooWalker #Highwood #HighwoodIL #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #60045 #LakeCounty#TeddyOBriens #432Sheridan #SmallBusiness #LiquorLicense #DowntownDevelopment #NorthShore #CityCouncil#WeDocumentYouDecide #LakeForestNews #SmallTownPolitics

⚾ This is The Jungle.22-4. First place North Suburban Conference. Team ERA 2.22. A culture that didn't exist three years ago.Coach Mike Nilles built it. The seniors are carrying it. The sophomores are extending it. The Dugout Club parents are funding it. And the student section is making the whole field shake.In this episode:🔥 Owen Koehnemann's bases-clearing triple against defending state champ Libertyville (yes — Ryne Sandberg's grandson)🔥 Callum Morrison breaking the LFHS record for innings and wins🔥 Why they actually call it The Jungle🔥 Pete vs Skoo on the field condition🔥 The chirpers, the music in the dugout, the energy that turned this team aroundTuesday's home game vs Mundelein. Conference on the line.Pull up a mic. Spear up.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 The Jungle Cold Open00:32 Pete's First Baseball Game Ever03:38 Inside The Jungle05:03 Owen Koehnemann's Bases-Clearing Triple08:04 Turf vs Grass Debate11:37 "Same Building?"17:19 Chirpers & Student Section Culture20:45 Why They Call It "The Jungle"21:06 Lake Forest 250 & Bites on Bank23:57 Lake Bluff History & Ms. O25:43 Wrap-Up27:37 Jungle Music Video29:45 Community Sponsors

📩 [email protected] / 847-922-4776We document. You decide.

🎙️ Pete Jansons and Jeff Urso sit down with Lori Fitzgerald, secretary of the District 67 school board, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, transparency, culture, and the bigger picture in Lake Forest.✉️ Pete opens with an open letter to the leaders of Lake Forest — about delayed FOIAs, the cost of hiding versus the cost of asking, and why raised voices at the dais aren't the problem. The hiding is.🏫 Lori shares how she got onto the D67 board, the caucus process, what public comment is actually for, and the role of the board in protecting kids and deterring bad behavior.🏒 Jeff brings up the Scouts Hockey lawsuit — what happens when volunteer board members get sued individually, and why that precedent worries him for every parent volunteer in town.⚾ Plus: Lake Forest varsity baseball, the danger of the comfort zone, "pass the trash" culture, and why leadership has to take feedback to grow.🎵 Today's album — "Feedback Loops" — drops on Spotify alongside this episode:https://open.spotify.com/artist/6BN8V...🍕 Hungry after the show? Grab a slice from Jeff's pizza place, Donati's:https://donatispizza.toast.site/⏰ TIMESTAMPS:🎙️ 0:00 Cold open — "Everybody smiles at the car"✉️ 0:00 Open letter to Lake Forest leaders⚖️ 2:32 The threat is leaders who won't share information💬 4:33 Jeff: "I've been on both sides" — the gotcha culture🪞 4:38 Transparency, moral compass, and elected leadership🏘️ 6:14 Polite society — when you don't speak up, you're saying it's okay🏫 7:26 "Pass the trash" — feedback loops, government vs. business🚗 9:36 Optics and leadership — drive the pickup, not the Maserati🎙️ 11:18 Lori Fitzgerald joins — "all views expressed are my own"🗳️ 11:52 How Lori got to the school board — the caucus, "Let's Do Better"👨‍👩‍👧 17:05 The recruiting process and the Cherokee hiring story🎙️ 22:54 Public comment — why the board can't debate at the dais🏫 25:33 Lori on the board's role: protect kids, deter bad behavior🤐 28:24 Why minor-student matters can't be discussed publicly🧒 29:24 Boys being boys — the culture of middle school🥇 30:30 The most dangerous lead in hockey is two to nothing🏒 32:15 Jeff on the Scouts Hockey lawsuit — suing volunteer board members👦 37:06 The kids are unaffected — adults ruin it⚾ 42:30 Lake Forest varsity baseball — the jungle, fourth grade to senior year🍻 45:15 "Have a beer first" — work it out before you sue📣 46:17 We document. You decide.📬 Got a tip? [email protected]📞 Press/Tips: 847-922-4776📺 Subscribe: 🔴 / @lakeforestpodcast🌐 lakeforestpodcast.com🎙️ Patreon: patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast#LakeForestPodcast #PeteJansons #JeffUrso #LoriFitzgerald #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #60045 #LakeCounty #District67 #D67 #SchoolBoard #FeedbackLoops #LakeForestSchools #Bullying #Accountability #Transparency #SmallTownPolitics

🎙️ Pete Jansons and Jeff Urso sit down with State Senator Susan Garrett to unpack what a District 67 board meeting revealed about culture, kids, and how communities respond when something feels off.🎓 Susan opens with a 1998 Boys State story about her son in a Carbondale dorm with two boys from downstate bullying a Black student from Chicago. The worst part, her son told her, was not having the tools to step in. That story still lands — connecting last week's meeting to this conversation.🏫 The bullying culture debate runs hot. Pete pushes parents-as-first-line. Jeff frames it through imbalance of power and the difference between how we teach boys to talk to boys vs. girls. Susan pitches a summit-style ad-hoc committee — bring teachers, parents, board, and students into one room and stop pretending the issue is going to fix itself. We disagree without making it a fight. That's the model.⚖️ Jeff walks through a hockey lawsuit primer where youth board members are being sued personally — a real chilling effect on civic participation. Susan and Pete unpack what board immunity does and doesn't cover.❤️ Jeff drops a leukemia survivor PSA: if it's rare or serious, go straight to a teaching hospital downtown. He shares using AI to read his own labs and refusing the usual shame dynamic with doctors. Pete adds his own genetics PSA — get your genes looked at, know your propensity to disease.🍕 Breaking local news: Piero D'Ascenzi has sold Ferentino's Pizzeria after 30+ years in Lake Forest. The buyer is the owner of Marco Roma. Jeff drops it as personal news — Piero is his sister's godfather.🎵 Today's album — "If Not You, Who? — The Other Guy Moved to Naples" — drops on Spotify alongside this episode:https://open.spotify.com/album/727RS9...📬 Newsletter — every FOIA document, every meeting clip, every weekly recap straight to your inbox:https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/s...⏰ TIMESTAMPS:🎬 0:00 Cold tease — Susan on the D67 parents🎙️ 0:44 Catching up — Mundelein, Teddy O'Brien, Dufferin's🏒 1:50 Hockey lawsuit primer (Episode 10 hook)👋 6:34 Susan joins🎯 7:13 Cold open — Buffett, the 95-5, and the mic always being open💬 9:06 Why we podcast (response to recent feedback)🎓 10:39 Boys State — Susan's son and the SIU University story🏫 13:38 Bullying culture, the board, and personal responsibility⚖️ 24:03 Board liability and lawsuits as a chilling effect💡 26:20 Susan's summit idea + Jeff's prevention framework🎉 30:44 Lake Forest 250th — Wayne Healy + the Freddy Jones Band🌧️ 35:31 Flooding, Deer Path, and infrastructure🎵 41:00 Suno, AI music, and the Stevie Wonder/Moog rabbit hole❤️ 47:19 Puck Cancer + Jeff's leukemia advice🧬 52:55 Pete's genetics PSA🍕 53:38 Breaking — Ferentino's Pizzeria sells after 30+ years👋 55:12 Sign-off🎙️ The Lake Forest Podcast drops every Saturday at 4:00 AM CT📩 Got a tip? [email protected]📞 Press/Tips: 847-922-4776📺 Subscribe: 🔴 / @lakeforestpodcast🌐 lakeforestpodcast.com🎙️ Patreon: patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast#LakeForestPodcast #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #60045 #LakeCounty#District67 #D67 #SusanGarrett #BoysState #SchoolBoard #LakeForestSchools#Bullying #Accountability #Transparency #SmallTownPolitics

🎙️ Pete Jansons and Jeff Urso sit down with Philippe Melin, Chief Strategy Officer at Parents Care, to break down what happened at the April 21 District 67 board meeting — the one where Randy Creighton's testimony has pulled 380,000+ Facebook views and 582 shares this week.🏛️ A Lake Forest father walked up to the D67 microphone and said: "That trust has been broken." His sixth-grade son was attacked six-on-one at Deer Path Middle School. A $100 bounty. Three sixth-graders who stepped in and stopped it. An administration that said one of the attackers wouldn't be at school — and he was.🎙️ Philippe was in the room Tuesday night. We unpack the full evening — what Randy said, what teachers added, what Frank McCormick warned, and what Philippe is asking the board to do next.👩‍🏫 Teacher Courtney Payne didn't hold back: "The answers you are receiving as a board are not accurate. In fact, they are needs improvement." That line is the hook for today's morning Short drop.📣 Frank McCormick reminded the board: "What you tolerate, you promote." Forty years in the classroom. The man knows what he's saying.🎵 Today's album — "As If He Was Elected" — drops on Spotify alongside this episode:https://open.spotify.com/album/45iOkz...📣 Parents Care — file bullying reports and read the open letter:https://parentscare.org🍕 Hungry after the show? Grab a slice from Jeff's pizza place, Donati's:https://donatispizza.toast.site/⏰ TIMESTAMPS:📺 0:00 Cold open — "As if he was elected"🚗 0:23 Shields Township / speed hump update🎙️ 3:39 Philippe Melin joins (Parents Care)🔥 3:50 Randy Creighton's FULL testimony — the one going viral💪 9:08 The three sixth-graders who stepped in⚖️ 11:30 Why the district's initial response failed🪨 12:47 "Get Some Stones" callback to last week📣 15:47 Frank McCormick: "What you tolerate, you promote"🏫 19:16 Is there a CULTURE allowing this at D67?🎒 21:04 "My son can't bike to school because of bullying"⚠️ 27:05 Alleged vs. documented — the legal framing👩‍🏫 30:23 Teacher Courtney Payne: "The answers are not accurate"❓ 32:29 Does the superintendent need to go?🎯 34:15 What needs to change at D67📋 36:17 Philippe's FOUR recommendations to the board✋ 42:19 The clerk cutoff — "Is the audience done?"🤝 45:32 Mark Remus — is the board president doing his job?📞 49:21 Parents Care hotline for bullying reports💰 56:23 $31K per student, twice national average🎤 59:26 Final word: "The administrators need to be educated"🎙️ The Lake Forest Podcast drops every Saturday at 8:00 AM CT📬 Got a tip? [email protected]📞 Press/Tips: 847-922-4776📺 Subscribe: 🔴 / @lakeforestpodcast🌐 lakeforestpodcast.com🎙️ Patreon: patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast#LakeForestPodcast #PeteJansons #JeffUrso #SkooWalker #PhilippeMelin #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #60045 #LakeCounty#District67 #DeerPathMiddleSchool #D67 #ParentsCare #SchoolBoard #LakeForestSchools#Bullying #Accountability #Transparency #SmallTownPolitics

🏛️ This week 40-50 people packed a Shields Township town hall and voted to strip the board of authority to sign a lease or buy property. Jeff Urso breaks down what actually happened — and why it matters for everyone in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Knollwood, and North Chicago.

🔥 Plus — Pete's been getting messages about the fire department. We love our firefighters on this show — first responders have all the stones in the world. This isn't about them. It's about whether anyone will come on camera and stand behind what they're saying. Pete asked the question on air. Jeff pushes back. You decide.

🗺️ AND — the City of Lake Forest just launched a brand new Crime Transparency Portal. Pete asks the obvious question: how do we get a crime map but still can't get a scoring sheet for a beach hot dog wagon?

See the Lake Forest Crime Map here:

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/bcd8db896c4c4945b02bffaf05ce1bcf

🎵 This episode inspired our album "Got the Stones" — Stream it now:

https://open.spotify.com/album/46mRBGfHkz1J3uAF24nn9n?si=e60yeupvQfigycsCUmgE6A

🎤 Lead single "Got the Stones" on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/track/1oQOAAkAzV1rW10m34EqaL?si=00e6afab9ce747ad

🔥 In this episode:

🏛️ SHIELDS TOWNSHIP AMBUSH — 40 to 50 people pack the room, vote to strip the board of authority to sign a lease

🎯 SOFT TARGET — Jeff Urso explains why they go after Shields instead of Lake Forest

📝 LEASE EXPIRES — The two-year clock starts now, and nobody has authority to renew it

🎙️ WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? — Pete's been getting messages about the fire department. Will anyone come on camera?

🚑 STAFFING CRISIS — LFFD contracts with Lake Bluff, Knollwood, plus the Mavis box cover system

🗺️ CRIME MAP LAUNCHES — Lake Forest finally shows the dots, still won't show the beach vendor scorecard

🌭 HOT DOG WAGON — How do we get a crime map but still can't get a scoring sheet?

🕊️ MARILYN LOUISE CRICHE — 99 years old, Sheridan, Deer Path, Gorton. Hell of a run.

🏋️ GYM TALK — Jeff dropped 80 pounds, Pete asks about etiquette and spotting

👋 WELCOME BACK — New viewer scripts recorded, got a tip? [email protected]

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⏰ TIMESTAMPS:

🏋️ 0:32 Jeff is back at the gym + weight loss journey

📋 7:47 FOIA update + city attorney delay tactics

🕊️ 10:37 In memoriam: Marilyn Louise Criche

🎙️ 13:15 Who do you believe? Messages about the fire department

🚒 18:55 LFFD staffing crisis, Lake Bluff ambulance contracts, Mavis box

🗺️ 36:18 Lake Forest Crime Transparency Portal launches

🌭 37:33 Why can we get a crime map but not the beach scorecard?

🏛️ 47:05 Shields Township showdown — 40-50 people pack the room

🎯 49:25 Jeff explains who's behind it and why

📝 53:13 The lease expires in 2 years and now nobody can sign it

👋 59:00 New viewer and returning viewer welcome

🎙️ 1:00:11 Jeff and Skoo close it out

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🎙️ The Lake Forest Podcast drops every Saturday at 4:00 AM CST

📧 Got a tip? [email protected]

📺 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@lakeforestpodcast

🌐 lakeforestpodcast.com

🎙️ Patreon: patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast

#LakeForestPodcast #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #ShieldsTownship #GotTheStones #LakeCountyIL #60045 #FOIA #LocalGovernment #Transparency #SmallTownPolitics #TownshipMeeting #LakeForestNews #NorthShoreChicago #PeteJansons

🎙️ Small town politics hit different this week. The city of Lake Forest picked a beach vendor using a scoring sheet — and refuses to show anyone the numbers. Pete's been filing FOIA requests. They keep saying no. Meanwhile the Rec Board is gone, replaced by 3 aldermen, and nobody had a public meeting about it..⚖️ FOIA FIGHT — Pete filed for the Forest Park Beach concession vendor scorecard. The city denied it under §7(1)(f). Pete escalated to the Illinois Public Access Counselor. We're in a 60-day window. If it was above board, why are you hiding the score?.🏛️ THE REC BOARD IS GONE — Mayor Randy Tack dissolved it. Replaced by three aldermen headed by Alderman Powers meeting with staff behind closed doors. If the Rec Board still existed, this beach vendor decision would have been a public meeting. Period..🎵 This episode inspired our album "Small Town Politics" — Stream it now: https://open.spotify.com/album/3dusSG....🎸 Lead single "Small Town Politics" on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/429vFB....🔥 In this episode:🏖️ FOIA FIGHT — The city picked a beach vendor using a secret scoring sheet and won't show anyone how the scores broke down🏛️ REC BOARD DISSOLVED — Randy Tack got rid of it. Now 3 aldermen make decisions that used to be public⚖️ PRESUMPTION BACKWARDS — Philippe Melin breaks down why government defaults to secrecy instead of transparency😂 SKITTLES LADY — Jeff Urso's story about a FOIA abuser who cost a township $131,276.18🤌 GOODFELLAS — What abusive FOIA turns government officials into🍺 HAT TRICKS — Jeff Urso opening an Irish pub that loves hockey in Mundelein at the old Teddy O's🎓 SCHOOL LUNCH PRICES — Why is a Propel $4.75 at the high school?🏖️ NORTH AVENUE BEACH — Why can't Lake Forest dream bigger for its lakefront?🎶 SMALL TOWN POLITICS — The album drops same day as this episode. Zing zing zing..🔗 Pete's reference from the Kate McGrath episode that started it all:    • "Why Do We Have To Leave?" Kate McGrath Ta...  .⏰ TIMESTAMPS:0:00 Supporter messages2:18 First things first — the Two Jesuses clarification5:24 Pete's apology to the family8:47 Jeff Urso is back — wife has lymphoma, slow growth, managing9:21 The Skittles Lady — FOIA abuse costs a township $131K10:08 Jeff: "That's what FOIA is meant for"11:44 Philippe: Government has the presumption of privacy backwards13:06 Pete: Am I the bad guy for asking?15:37 Skoo: They should have gone to Randy Tack — he got rid of the Rec Board15:46 Philippe: A culture of transparency leads to better government25:12 Give me the score and I'll move on31:00 Goodfellas — what abusive FOIA turns officials into34:19 Why was the Rec Board dissolved?35:47 If the Rec Board existed, this would have been a public meeting47:40 $4.75 for a Propel at the high school — who's getting the markup?49:37 Why can't Lake Forest look like North Avenue Beach?51:57 Jeff Urso opening Hat Tricks Irish pub in Mundelein1:00:19 Small Town Politics — album closes the show.🎵 Music: "Small Town Politics" by Peter Jansons📧 [email protected]🌐 lakeforestpodcast.com🤝 patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast.#LakeForestPodcast #PeteJansons #JeffUrso #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #60045 #LakeCounty #ForestParkBeach #FOIA #LakeForestPolitics #SmallTownPolitics #Transparency #RecBoard #LakeForestCaucus

The city said the Forest Park Beach vendor selection was above board. Then they refused to show the scoring sheet they used to pick the winner. Left Bank was turned down in the past for not offering enough — now they offer plenty. So how did they get aced out?

We've been filing FOIA requests. The city keeps saying no. Watch the full episode and tell us what you think.

🎥 https://youtu.be/du9QiiWLCgQ

#LakeForestPodcast #LakeForestIL #ForestParkBeach #FOIA

🎙️ Nobody said this week was going to be easy. The city won't show us the rating scale they used to pick the Forest Park Beach concession vendor. Pete's been filing FOIA requests. They keep saying no. And then somebody drops a bomb mid-show that changes everything.

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🏖️ Cotton Duck LLC — Peanut Gallery's Dom and Cecilia — won the Forest Park Beach concession contract. Great people. But the city used a scoring sheet to pick them and won't share it. If it was above board, why are you hiding it?

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🎵 This episode inspired our album "You're Telling Me Now?" — Stream it now: https://open.spotify.com/album/3fQbvNvify4Av0RrmVKl3a?si=8MdjMcsVQlKBQd8_lJ12LA

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🏒 PUCK CANCER: Co-host Jeff Urso was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia and launched Puck Cancer — raising money for Lurie Children's Hospital. 100% of net streaming proceeds go directly to Lurie Children's. Stream the Puck Cancer album on Spotify and help Jeff hit his goal.

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🔥 In this episode:

🔒 FOIA FIGHT — The city picked a beach vendor using a secret scoring sheet and refuses to show anyone how the scores broke down

⚡ LIGHTNING STRIKE — Joe's neighbor's house got hit. Roof caught fire. Fire department from half the North Shore showed up

🎟️ MILLION DOLLAR LOTTO — Winning ticket sold right here in Lake County. Joe knows things he can't tell you

🌴 PETE'S MEXICO TRIP — Puerto Vallarta was "dangerous." It wasn't. Fake news has a hundred year history

🤖 AI IS HERE — Is it helping your business or replacing you? Skoo has thoughts

🏀 SKOO CORRECTS THE RECORD — Lake Forest hoops had a great year and the coach is NOT Phil La Scala. He retired. Our bad

⚾ OPENING DAY — Sox talk, Murakami, the Dodgers, and why you can't jump off the bandwagon

💣 THE ANNOUNCEMENT — Someone picks up their rifle and moves on. Next man up. Lake Forest doesn't stop

⚖️ PETE'S PARTING SHOT — Nobody who has caused the city financial loss should ever sit on a board or commission. Remember that

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⏰ TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Supporter messages

2:48 Skoo's back — Opening Day for the Lake Forest Podcast

3:22 Shoutout to Kate McGrath episode https://youtu.be/zqVXhGPSf2Y

3:55 Kate asked the Republican Party for help and got zero

4:39 Pete's back from Puerto Vallarta — the "danger" was overblown

6:09 AI discussion — is it helping or replacing you?

8:53 $1 million lotto winner in Lake County https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2026/03/31/winning-lottery-ticket-worth-over-1-million-sold-at-convenience-store-in-lake-county/

9:05 Lightning strike on Joe's block — neighbor's roof caught fire

21:14 Were there bodegas in old Lake Forest? Baseball card memories

24:17 Jeff Urso recovering — we're thinking about you

24:30 Skoo weighs in on the beach vendor contract

28:50 The city won't share the rating scale they used to pick the vendor

39:00 Skoo corrects what we got wrong

43:00 Baseball season — Sox talk, Opening Day rituals

46:17 Easter egg hunts in Lake Forest?

48:42 The announcement

1:02:20 Thank you for your service

1:05:19 Nobody who cost the city money should ever sit on a board

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📣 Supporters: The Aesthetic Lounge | Larisey & Company CPA | Iliad | Michelle Parnell | Paul G

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🎵 Music: "You're Telling Me Now?" by Peter Jansons

📧 [email protected]

🌐 lakeforestpodcast.com

💰 patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast

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#LakeForestPodcast #PeteJansons #JeffUrso #JoeWeiss #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #60045 #LakeCounty #ForestParkBeach #FOIA #LakeForestPolitics #LakeForestCaucus