John Williams

WGN Radio legend Kathy O’Malley and longtime WGN producer Beth Swierk join John Williams to talk about the life of Judy Markey, who passed away this morning at 82. Kathy tells John about how Judy chose to die, and Beth and Kathy reflect on the legacy of ‘The Kathy & Judy Show.’ John Williams, Mary […]

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins John Williams to reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and to share his thoughts on covering the attack as a young reporter in New York.

Journalist Tom Junod joins John Williams to talk about the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and his piece on ‘The Falling Man‘ in Esquire from September 2003.

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

Harold Redman, CEO, ECHO, tells John about the the innovative new products they recently introduced at their Power-On-Athon event. Harold also talks about how business has been going, some of the other great products they sell, where you can find their products, why they are proud of being a Chicago-area business and the work they do […]

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about when kids should be aware of good nutrition and exercise, three great snacks for watching football this season, and why a well-stocked freezer is important when trying to eat healthy. What are Dawn’s freezer staples?

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 short trip from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head toward the beautiful fall colors in Wisconsin and […]

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, Steve Bertrand, host of the Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals begin the podcast talking about Michigan’s controversial win over Western Michigan over the weekend. As a Michigan alum, Eric feels bad […]

Dr. Selwyn Rogers joins John Williams to discuss his book, ‘Healing the Gun Violence Epidemic:Ending Violence, Rebuilding Communities, and a Trauma Surgeon’s Vision for Restoring Hope.’ Dr. Rogers tells John about the work he does at the hospital, what the scene is like when trauma patients come in, what’s going on with gun violence on […]

Longtime Chicago radio veteran Harvey Wells, founder, Lower Tech Bills, talks to John about how he helps customers lower their internet, cell phone, and television costs. As the NFL football season gets underway, Harvey tells you what you need to know to watch football this season. To request a free tech check you can contact Harvey at […]

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. Bob says that now is a good time to core aerate, as well as divide and plant.

John Williams reflects on the loss of his mom, who passed away over the weekend.

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

Dr. Cynthia Paidipati, Board of Director for the IL Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the upcoming Out of the Darkness Chicagoland Walk. Dr. Paidipati tells Wendy how suicide impacts everyone, the importance of sharing stories and opening dialogue about mental health, […]

On the Noon Business Lunch, John Williams was joined by Michelle Edmonson, Vice President of Exhibitions for AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and leads for the IMTS – International Manufacturing Technology Show brand, to talk about how many people and exhibitors the show brings to Chicago, the types of manufacturing they showcase, what will we […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins Jon Hansen to talk about Michigan’s controversial win over Western Michigan on Friday night, the poll of Picayune Sentinel readers about Flock cameras, and his thoughts on the Medical Aid in Dying bill that will become law on Saturday.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins Wendy Snyder about the importance of getting the flu vaccine, when you should think about getting COVID and flu shots, how vaccine hesitancy is causing a rise in measles cases, and a new study that shows a pancreatic cancer drug may […]

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

John Williams talks about the controversial ‘Medical Aid in Dying’ bill that will become law late next week. We hear from caller Anna who has a personal story to tell about the law. Later, Benjamin Fleshman, Counsel, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, joins to talk about the lawsuit to block the End-of-Life Options for […]

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins John Williams to give us the latest update on the Lindsay Clancy trial.

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

Mr. Cat, Dave Eanet, joins John Williams and Andy Masur to preview the upcoming Northwestern football season! Go Cats!

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the importance of magnesium rich foods, why you should get your blood work done (and understanding the numbers!), a famous toast recipe, and to answer all of your health and nutrition questions.

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature for 2026! Are you trying to come up with some getaway ideas that are only a quick trip from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we take a short drive up to Wisconsin and chat with […]

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, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast by congratulating Rascal Brandon Pope on his new gig at FOX32! […]

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. Bob says lawns are doing great with recent rains, but make sure to keep an eye out for […]

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to explain what’s going on with Treasury yields, how the war in Iran has been impacting the economy, today’s ADP data, what is expected from Friday’s August labor report, and the risks and rewards of paying off your home with a HELOC. David hosts “Home […]

Cathy Adduci, Village President, River Forest, joins John Williams to talk about why some residents of River Forest are not on board with the plan for the O’Hare Flyer, a high speed train that will get you from downtown to O’Hare Airport in 15 minutes.

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the impact of the war in Iran on the economy, why the market has been resilient despite the uncertainty, why he thinks the market is poised for growth, what he expects from the Fed […]

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

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the controversy surrounding Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed saying in an interview that he wants Michigan to ‘beat Ohio.’ El-Sayed is also under scrutiny for some old tweets referencing 9/11. Eric also talks about the upcoming Chicago mayoral election, and why he’s skeptical […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about studies that are being done to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, the FDA approving a drug treatment for pancreatic cancer, and what we know about this year’s flu season.

Marge Sipla, Speed Jokes spirit animal, cataloger, and member of the Speed Jokes Committee, joins John Williams and the gang to give us her favorite Speed Jokes of August 2026! What was your favorite joke this month? 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. With all the rain this week, Lou says to take a quick walk around the home and look for problem areas to address so water doesn’t get into your house. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each […]

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

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners,, joins Jon Hansen to talk about Fed Chair Kevin Warsh sticking to his guns on getting inflation down to 2%, why the market is reacting negatively to Warsh’s comments, what the Fed will likely do with interest rates in September, the concern over the national debt, the […]

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about President Trump renaming Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America.’ Connell thinks the whole renaming of things is silly and a distraction to what is really important to people. Will Trump’s trade war with Canada hurt the GOP […]

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

Joseph Vallez, Executive Director of the Bensenville Park District, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about their 4-H program at Fischer Farm, how the park district offers many different experiences even if you aren’t into sports, the beautiful White Pines Golf Course, the whole gamut of events at White Pines that […]

Bensenville Mayor Frank DeSimone joins Jon Hansen (filling in for John Williams) to talk about the importance of community in Bensenville, some of the great events taking place in Bensenville over the next couple of months (including their incredible Halloween celebrations), how they take care of first responders, the revival of Bensenville’s downtown, how they […]

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 (today, Jon Hansen) has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we escape to beautiful Michigan and visit […]

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about a recent Washington Post opinion piece saying that we should not lettuce any longer. What does Dawn think? Dawn also answers all of your food and nutrition questions!

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, Steve Bertrand, host of the Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room (stay tuned for some BIG news from Brandon). This week, the Rascals begin the podcast honoring the life and legacy […]

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. Bob says that even though we are seeing cooler temperatures now, the forecast still calls for 90’s, so […]

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. Kerry talks about why he supports the ‘Medical Aid in Dying’ bill that will become law in September.

Michelle Nichols, Director of Public Observing, The Adler Planetarium, joins John Williams to talk about the next great telescope to go up into space and why you should care about it! Oh, and don’t forget about the partial lunar eclipse on Thursday! Michelle also gives us her review of ‘The Odyssey.’

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