Forget those goofy, manic TV shows and other misconceptions and take a trip into the fascinating pawn shop world with this happily married couple, Albena Wozny and Brad Prendergast www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/24/d...

The photo will certainly give you more than a hint about who won but don't let that prevent you from reading about the weird and silly and over-served night that Donny fought Danny and more than 2000 people watched. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/23/d...

And here is the obituary the one and only Tom Dreesen, child of suburban Harvey, Sinatra's opening act, a kind hearted man with a million pals. Gift link: www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/17/c...

And here is the obituary the one and only Tom Dreesen, child of suburban Harvey, Sinatra's opening act, a kind hearted man with a million pals. Gift link: www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/17/c...

Tom Dreesen, child of Harvey, friend to millions, opening act for a guy named Sinatra, superb golfer, softest touch in show biz and just a damn fine guy has died at 86. Obituary coming in Tribune soon.

Tattoo artist Ben Wahhh is helping women erase some of the nightmares of their pasts, turning their "brandings" into things of beauty, "transforming lives by transforming skin.” www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/17/t...

Okay, stop worrying! Yes, Dave Jemilo has sold the Green Mill, one of the greatest nightclubs on Earth, but it's staying "all in the family." You can meet the new owners in this story. They will, Marc Smith says, "keep the dive the beloved dive it is.” www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/10/c...

The Bears will find a place to play before planes fly at Peotone. The story of the decades' long fight for and against a 'third airport' is told in a new movie. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/09/h...

For that jukebox in your head, these two have crafted a remarkable CD with 11 songs, the familiarity of which enriches the listening. Without words, we supply the lyrics, but also listen more intently and the music soars on guitar and cello.” For that www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/03/a...

This happy couple, Judith Barnard and Michael Fain, who split their time between Aspen and Chicago, wrote novels together under the Judith Michael and sold millions of copies. She died early in May after 94 fruitful years. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/02/c...

No "After Hours" this Sunday, as we take a break while a couple of new shows move into that vaunted 5-7 pm timeslot. WGN would like to continue its long, very long, relationship with and so much for me to learn before we launch or crash. I will keep you posted.

Tim O'Malley was one of the most naturally funny people this city has ever known, memorable as a performer and teacher at The Second City. He was also a man who used some of his own experiences to help and inspire others. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/26/c...

@KoganAfterHours 5-7 pm Sunday @WGNRadio brings you Della Leavitt on her fine novel, “Vivian’s Decision," @dellaleavitt; tattoo artist Ben Wahhh on efforts to help domestic violence survivors @DeluxeTattoo and @inkrelief; music and a Royko leller about Sam Sianis.

Two new burger books by George Motz and Maggie Hennessy are great. But asked long ago why we are a country that is nuts for burgers, the late Sam Sianis of the Billy Goat put it, with brilliant simplicity, “People like them because they’re good.” www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/20/h...

Two new burger books by George Motz and Maggie Hennessy are great. But asked long ago why we are a country that is nuts for burgers, the late Sam Sianis of the Billy Goat put it, with brilliant simplicity, “People like them because they’re good.” www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/20/h...

Julian Frazin was admired for his legal skills as an attorney and judge over his long life. But it was his creative entertainment gifts and energy that made him most admired and unforgettable. Here's a gift link: www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/19/r...

@KoganAfterHours is one hour Sunday, 6-7 pm @WGNRadio and brings you Frank Maugeri, artistic director of Cabinet of Curiosity, Sonya Henderson (founder of Mother’s Healing Circle) and others to talk about “Honor Thy Mother” Saturday 8-11 p.m. First Presbyterian Church of Chicago

Sam Sianis has died at 91. He was one of a kind and the hardest worker you could ever meet and a man who handled the considerable Billy Goat fame and curse with style and grace...and that smile. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/15/s...

Sam Sianis has died at 91. He was one of a kind and the hardest worker you could ever meet and a man who handled the considerable Billy Goat fame and curse with style and grace...and that smile. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/15/s...

Memorial Day 1981, Dan Goodwin, aka Spider-Dan, climbed into city's sky, saying “If I was going to die, I was going to die on my own terms.” He is alive and well, has a book, has beat cancer and tells Rick Kogan, “I felt like I was floating in space.” www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/13/r...

As rain whipped the park across the street, Garry Trudeau told me, “Writing cartoons is a very solitary profession, a very monastic existence.” The first major biography of this shy man is coming very soon. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/12/c...

Joining Studs Terkel, Gwendolyn Brooks, Scott Turow, Stuart Dybek, Sara Paretsky, and other powerful writers, Patti Smith, born during a Chicago blizzard, will become a Harold Washington Literary Award. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/12/p...

@KoganAfterHours 5-7 pm Sunday @WGNRadio Happy Mothers Day, and we have food writer Maggie Hennessey on local scene and new book, “The Hamburger Bible", Don Goodwin, aka the famous “Spider Dan” who 45 years ago climbed the Hancock and Sears Tower and has a new book, “Untethered.”

@KoganAfterHours 5-7 pm Sunday @WGNRadio Happy Mothers Day, and we have food writer Maggie Hennessey on local scene and new book, “The Hamburger Bible", Don Goodwin, aka the famous “Spider Dan” who 45 years ago climbed the Hancock and Sears Tower and has a new book, “Untethered.”

The hottest game in town is mahjong. Not quite up there with pickleball or online gambling but just look around and you’ll see it being played in libraries and senior living facilities, in some of the hippest bars and restaurants… all over. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/07/m...

The night after Geraldo "met" Capone he went to a bar and “ordered a bottle of Cuervo and tried to forget.” He then "slept like a dead man" but awoke to surprisingly good news: The show had set a new bar as the highest rated syndicated show in TV history. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/05/a...

@After Hours with Rick Kogan 5-7 Sunday WGN Radio brings you photographer Larry Tuckman on “Chicago’s Uptown”; Alyssa Gross on mahjong @themahjongsociety.com; correspondent Candace Jordan ; Liz Garibay to talk about the “Brewing the Revolution” event and beer in general beerculturecenter.org

Arsenio's story--filled with people like Prince, Bill Clinton, Whitney Houston--compels a look at the fading of the once powerful late night TV world, as Colbert is leaving soon and the Jimmys face an uncertain future. But once upon a time... www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/29/a...

Arsenio's story--filled with people like Prince, Bill Clinton, Whitney Houston--compels a look at the fading of the once powerful late night TV world, as Colbert is leaving soon and the Jimmys face an uncertain future. But once upon a time... www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/29/a...

One of Charles Manson’s prosecuting attorneys thinks we are attracted to killers because “People in the United States like to be scared sometimes.” The Gilgo Beach monster has two new TV shows-one that focuses on his victims. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/28/r...

@KoganAfterHours 5-7 Sunday @wgnradio.bsky.social has Paula Froehle on DOC10 fest doc10.org; Jim Fitzpatrick on his book, “The Intersection"; Phil Donlon on “The Gilgo Beach Murders”; Neal Samors/Eric Brodsky on “Corner Beef on Rye: Remembering Chicago’s Jewish Delicatessens.”

All in the family, as Mary Jo's and Butch McGuire's grandkids open a new saloon on a famously boozy block of Lincoln Ave. With food and music and the desire to honor the the family legacy. Stop in for a drink. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/22/m...

All in the family, as Mary Jo's and Butch McGuire's grandkids open a new saloon on a famously boozy block of Lincoln Ave. With food and music and the desire to honor the the family legacy. Stop in for a drink. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/22/m...

Want to know more about "Saturday Night Live" creator and boss Lorne Michaels? The new movie "Lorne" tries, with the help of Steve Martin, Tina Fey, Paul Simon, Bill Hader and others. You'll get a lot of enjoyable clips but the man remains elusive. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/21/l...

Is it possible for one film festival to have movies about Salman Rushdie, Girl Scouts, Norman Lear, Billie Jean King, Black soldiers in Vietnam and others? Yes it is and it's @doc10filmfest coming soon to Davis Theater and Siskel Film Center. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/15/d...

Have a kid who plays soccer? You might want to read of one family's travels in "Soccer Dad," a mad trip but also an enjoyable one, into “the byzantine levels of youth soccer in the city and suburbs.” www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/14/s...

@KoganAfterHours 5-7 pm Sunday @WGNRadio has @CandidCandace on singer Yasmin Levy; producer Mary Bonnett/director Richard Shavin on “The Official Biography,” with Gary Houston; singer Libby York's Ella Fitzgerald b-day at Winter's; @LeahEskin on her novel "Like Wafers in Honey."

Tiger and Phil aren't playing in the Masters but Joe Riley is, hitting 400 yard drives using ancient clubs at Augusta in a spectacular, exciting novel, "All Carry," by longtime sportswriter and ESPN star Gene Wojciechowski www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/08/c...

With strong Chicago connections--Jeff Tweedy, Bob Odenkirk and former Sun-Times Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic Ron Powers and his family--documentary “No One Cares About Crazy People” is a powerful "call to arms," Saturday at Film Row Cinema. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/07/n...

With strong Chicago connections--Jeff Tweedy, Bob Odenkirk and former Sun-Times Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic Ron Powers and his family--documentary “No One Cares About Crazy People” is a powerful "call to arms," Saturday at Film Row Cinema. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/07/n...

Basketball break over, @KoganAfterHours back in business 5-7 pm Sunday @wgnradio.bsky.social with Gene Wojciechowski on his terrific golf novel, “All Carry”; one and only Candace Jordan on city life @candidcandace;David Murray on his book, “Soccer Dad.” Listen in.

The Lincoln Academy, born in part by an Audio-Animatronic replica of Abe at the NYC World's Fair in 1964, welcomes a new gang of achievers who join such others as Mike Royko, Walter Payton, Hilary Clinton, Mahalia Jackson and Jack Benny www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/01/i...

The dinosaurs are coming! The dinosaurs are coming and other creative pranks from the lively, nutty April Fools' Days of the past, including a baseball pitcher who could throw 168 mph and the return of Richard Nixon www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/31/a...

One of the seven mansions still standing on Lake Shore Drive, the Blair Mansion echoes a bygone time but also represents, optimistically, a splendid future, with these two people making it happen. just as they created the nearby Astor Club. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/25/a...

A new book takes you behind the glitz and into “a freewheeling community of motion picture technicians and into a wild, pre-gentrified, dangerous era. From "The Exorcist" to "The Godfather" and about 50 other movies I know you've seen. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/24/c...

A new book takes you behind the glitz and into “a freewheeling community of motion picture technicians and into a wild, pre-gentrified, dangerous era. From "The Exorcist" to "The Godfather" and about 50 other movies I know you've seen. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/24/c...

Newcity is a survivor and happily, creatively so. Its 40th anniversary issue is its biggest yet. It can now be found all over the Midwest and there's a new outpost in Brazil. What's the secret? Reading this may give you a clue. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/18/n...

Newcity is a survivor and happily, creatively so. Its 40th anniversary issue is its biggest yet. It can now be found all over the Midwest and there's a new outpost in Brazil. What's the secret? Reading this may give you a clue. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/18/n...

Mike Royko called Rupert Murdoch "The Alien" when he came here to buy the Sun-Times in 1984 and in a new four-part documentary you can learn why his children might call him "Daddy Dearest." He made them all billionaire-rich but at a heavy emotional price. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/17/d...

Mike Royko called Rupert Murdoch "The Alien" when he came here to buy the Sun-Times in 1984 and in a new four-part documentary you can learn why his children might call him "Daddy Dearest." He made them all billionaire-rich but at a heavy emotional price. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/17/d...