Épisodes

  • Ten Speeds and Sailboats: Rick Lesser on Civility, E-Bikes & the Right Address | Lake Forest Podcast

    Ten Speeds and Sailboats: Rick Lesser on Civility, E-Bikes & the Right Address | Lake Forest Podcast
    Jun 27 2026

    🚲 Pete's just trying to drive home when a guy on a ten-speed leans into the truck window and unloads — Elon, Trump, the tariffs, the war, inflation. Pete rolls down the window figuring he must've cut the guy off. Nope. Just another Tuesday on McKinley. Rick Lesser pulls up a few minutes later, and that run-in becomes the thread running through the whole show. What happened to civility? Why does nobody say "on your left" anymore? Are e-bikes really e-bikes — or are they motorcycles? And when did consequences quietly disappear? Then the conversation moves from bike paths to something bigger: whether the rules apply equally to everyone. The same meeting packet that re-adopts the rule limiting how much you can build also approves a variance for a lakefront estate to build beyond those limits — with a private tram to the beach. So are there limits? Or are there limits... unless you've got the right address? From there it's everywhere: Ragdale and Howard Van Doren Shaw, the Lake Forest zoo that somehow wound up in Tennessee, why two of downtown's biggest storefronts have sat empty for years, and why Lake Bluff keeps eating Lake Forest's lunch on sales tax. Retailer problem? Landlord problem? Or a Lake Forest problem? We document. You decide. 🎙 Pete Jansons — with Rick Lesser IN THIS EPISODE0:00 "You must be from Lake Bluff": the roadside run-in2:58 "Civility's been outlawed" — and the no-honk code3:40 "Those aren't e-bikes. Those are motorcycles."4:12 The Market Square squad car8:44 The 1912 mansion that wants a tram to its beach12:08 Same packet: the limits, the variance, "the right address"13:31 Ragdale, the artist colony, and the Prevailing Wage Act20:04 Lake Forest had a zoo — then it moved to Tennessee26:04 Two big downtown storefronts, empty for years34:00 Restaurant math, The Bear, and the Libertyville consultant43:01 Lake Bluff eats our lunch: sales tax vs. property tax46:11 "On Your Left" (album track)51:30 "The Right Address" (album closer) 🎵 Companion album: "Ten Speeds and Sailboats" — eight original songs inspired by today's conversation. 📝 We fix our record: Ragdale was designed and built (1896–97) by Howard Van Doren Shaw — who also designed Market Square — not the name guessed on air. The City of Lake Forest owns it; the Ragdale Foundation runs it. Support the show: patreon.com/lakeforestpodcastNewsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/jmul1Df/lakeforestpodcastsignupSubstack (Rawthentic): https://petejansons.substack.comTips / press: pete@lakeforestpodcast.comLake Forest, IL (60045)
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    55 min
  • How Lake Bluff Went From Dry Town to Red Wagons | Rick Lesser | Lake Forest Podcast

    How Lake Bluff Went From Dry Town to Red Wagons | Rick Lesser | Lake Forest Podcast
    Jun 20 2026
    🍺 Rick Lesser pulls up a chair at Duffer's with Pete and Jeff for the most Lake Bluff conversation we've ever recorded. Rick was on the village board when Lake Bluff went from a dry town in the '90s — no bars, no restaurants, nothing — to a place where you walk the block party with a beer in a red wagon. From there it's everywhere: the Route 60 dead zone that ate everyone's phone in the storm, the craft beer crash from twelve taps down to three, Illinois pensions and who's actually stuck paying, "Winter Club Jeff," and what's being floated for Bank Lane this summer. We document. You decide. 🎙️ Pete Jansons & Jeff Urso — with Rick Lesser ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS🍺 0:00 — The only place you could drink in Lake Forest was Burger King🏖️ 0:34 — "Deli Belly" + the beach concession question⛈️ 2:23 — The Wednesday storms and the 12-hour blackout🚗 4:34 — Teslas, range anxiety & "No, officer"🏛️ 7:31 — City Council + the Route 60 / Waukegan dead zone🍻 9:34 — Rick Lesser pulls up a chair at Duffer's📉 12:08 — The craft beer crash: twelve taps down to three💉 14:43 — Light beers, Ozempic & Modelo passes Corona🗳️ 18:15 — Rick in Springfield: 37,000 signatures, 25,000 good ones🪧 19:50 — How petitions protect the incumbents🏗️ 21:02 — "Deli Belly," the Cotton Duck DBA & a real beach bar?🛶 22:57 — Lake bars: Blarney Island & the sheriff's speedboat🎾 25:08 — Mayor Tack, the Deer Path car & the West Park screens🚶 27:01 — Bank Lane goes pedestrian + the red wagon🚫 29:17 — Lake Bluff was a dry town in the '90s🎨 30:20 — How Rick brought open carry to downtown Lake Bluff🌳 34:08 — Shout-out to the streets & tree crews🗣️ 35:45 — The Chicago accent & "Winter Club Jeff"🏖️ 37:33 — Waukegan's Greentown on the Rocks💸 39:41 — Illinois pensions: the hole and who pays⚖️ 41:53 — The only fix: amend Article XIII, Section 5🔁 43:17 — Tier 2 and pension buyouts🚲 46:56 — Bikes on Bank: open container comes to Bank Lane🎪 51:16 — Who should run the town's music & events🍔 54:04 — Drinking in Lake Forest, then and now🎵 55:46 — "Twenty-Five Thousand Good Ones" (album track)🎶 57:45 — "SOS at Waukegan and Sixty" (album track)🙏 59:21 — Our supporters + thank-you to our Patreon crew 🎵 NEW ALBUM — "Open Container" (8 tracks) on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/6BN8V... 🔗 LINKS & MORE▶ Support the show: patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast▶ Newsletter (weekly recap + clips): https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/s...▶ Rawthentic (Pete's Substack): https://petejansons.substack.com▶ Tips / press: pete@lakeforestpodcast.com▶ Lake Forest, IL (60045) 📝 CORRECTIONS & CONTEXT (we fix our record)"Deli Belly" appears to be a DBA/brand tied to The Cotton Duck (the beach concession operator) — a name, not necessarily a new vendor.Modelo Especial passed Corona and, in 2023, became the top-selling beer in the U.S. by retail dollar sales.Illinois' pension-protection clause is Article XIII, Section 5 of the 1970 state constitution. The state reports roughly $145B unfunded; some analysts estimate higher. Chicago has cited about $37B.Illinois "Tier 2" pensions apply to employees who first started on or after January 1, 2011 (referred to on the show as 2013). #LakeForestPodcast #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #RickLesser #OpenContainer #LocalGovernment #60045
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    1 h et 2 min
  • Stop Losing to Indiana — Collin Corbett, Independent for IL Governor | Lake Forest Podcast

    Stop Losing to Indiana — Collin Corbett, Independent for IL Governor | Lake Forest Podcast
    Jun 13 2026
    For 20 years, Collin Corbett helped get Republicans elected in Illinois. This spring he walked away from his party, took a leave from his firm, shut down his own political podcast, filed 37,000 signatures — and now he's running for Governor as an Independent while Darren Bailey's campaign tries to knock him off the ballot. Pete and Rick Lesser put your questions to him — the ones from the Lake Forest Lake Bluff News group: the pension crisis (yes, Squeezy the Python makes an appearance), property taxes, mental health, abortion, the Bears, and why Illinois keeps losing people, jobs, and businesses to neighboring states. He answered almost everything — and when the spoiler question came, he answered it directly. We document. You decide. 🎙️ Pete Jansons & Rick Lesser — with Collin Corbett, Independent candidate for Governor of Illinois ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS🗳️ 0:00 — "Illinois is primed for a takeoff" (cold open)🍺 1:06 — April 10: the post that ended his podcast — and started his campaign⚖️ 1:53 — "My party left me": why 45% of voters are now independents💰 5:34 — The $145 billion problem nobody connects to their own life🚫 7:51 — Why Illinois can't declare bankruptcy (Article 13, Section 5)🐍 9:17 — The pension plan: buyouts, a spending freeze & the 2030/2033 bonds🚀 11:44 — Companies leaving, the Bears — "Illinois is primed for a takeoff"🏈 14:33 — "Stop losing to friggin' Indiana"🥊 15:40 — The rigged ballot: third independent in 86 years🏥 18:57 — Jails as asylums: Illinois among the worst in mental health🏢 21:57 — Core Strategies: 16 years, and the clients he refused🎙️ 23:32 — Smoke-Filled Room ended at episode 148. This is our episode 148.✍️ 28:28 — 37,000 signatures: "850 candidates on the ballot, zero knocked off"🎯 29:37 — The spoiler question: "He's stealing my votes, not the other way around"👶 32:53 — "Is there a future in Illinois for Teddy?"🐍 36:06 — Squeezy the Python returns⚓ 36:14 — Anchor at Reasonable: the plan to build the middle🩺 39:43 — A woman's right to choose4️⃣ 41:35 — The Four Percent quiz (Pete takes his turn)🤖 42:47 — "The evil of two lessers" + AI and Flintstone-era government🏛️ 45:53 — Cook County, Tyler Technologies & the procurement mess📋 48:36 — Final exam: affordability, growth, reform💔 49:47 — DCFS and Illinois' most vulnerable kids🏚️ 54:22 — Empty storefronts, 282,000 regulations & getting Illinois growing👋 55:45 — "On behalf of the exhausted majority"🎵 59:12 — "Anchor At Reasonable" (from the episode album) 🎵 THE ALBUMAnchor At Reasonable — 8 original songs built from this episode, on Lake Forest Records. "Stop Losing To Indiana" opens the show. The title track closes it. Yes, there's a song called "Squeezy The Python." Yes, there's one called "Thirty-Seven Thousand."👉 https://open.spotify.com/album/7zNfM8... 🔗 LINKS🗳️ Collin's campaign: https://collinforil.com❤️ Support the show: / lakeforestpodcast ✍️ Pete's Rawthentic on Substack: https://petejansons.substack.com📧 Contact: pete@lakeforestpodcast.com We document. You decide. Not news. Just neighbors. #LakeForestPodcast #PeteJansons #CollinCorbett #IllinoisGovernor #IllinoisPolitics #Pensions #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #60045 #WeDocumentYouDecide
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    1 h et 3 min
  • WHO REALLY RUNS LAKE FOREST? Rick Lesser Returns | Lake Forest Podcast

    WHO REALLY RUNS LAKE FOREST? Rick Lesser Returns | Lake Forest Podcast
    Jun 6 2026

    Rick Lesser is back at the bar — snowbird tan and all — and this one runs from a 2012 trash-can fire to a city-manager form of government nobody fully understands. Under all of it sits one question: who actually runs this town — the mayor or the city manager? Along the way we get into the windscreens that turned West Park into a wall, a $170K no-bid tech contract, and the beach concession scorecard the city still won't release.We document. You decide.🎙️ Pete, Jeff Urso & Skoo Walker — with Rick Lesser⏱️ TIMESTAMPS🏛️ 0:00 — "Where does the buck stop?" (the question)🍺 0:23 — Rick Lesser returns to the bar🔥 1:28 — The 2012 West Park trash-can fire (Rick's commendation)🎾 4:04 — The tennis courts & the windscreen "wall"🏖️ 15:11 — The beach concession FOIA & the missing scorecard💻 16:58 — A $170K no-bid tech contract📋 36:24 — The fight for the beach scorecard🗳️ 36:35 — The caucus & why turnout is so small🍸 47:59 — Highwood, liquor licenses & treating businesses equally🏛️ 56:32 — Who actually runs City Hall? (mayor vs. city manager)🎓 59:18 — Education, the trades & Rawthentic🏫 1:01:36 — The Committee of Ten (1892)📵 1:01:57 — Banning cell phones in schools🌭 1:04:30 — Bar talk: the best hot dog in town📋 1:06:11 — D115 board: a 7-0 closed-session personnel vote (public record)🏘️ 1:06:21 — Shields Township & spending power🎬 ~1:23 — Wrap🔗 LINKS & MORE▶ Support the show: patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast▶ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6BN8V...▶ Rawthentic (Pete's Substack): petejansons.substack.com▶ Tips / press: pete@lakeforestpodcast.com▶ Lake Forest, IL (60045)📝 CORRECTIONS & CONTEXT (we fix our record)

    • Lake Forest High School graduation is Saturday, June 6, 2026.
    • The city's tech migration (BS&A, cloud) was $169,785, approved sole-source 8-0 on May 18, 2026 — referred to on the show as "$180K."
    • SB 2427 (school cell-phone restrictions) passed the Illinois General Assembly in May 2026 and is not yet in effect — it phases in a future school year and includes exceptions (medical, IEP, English-learner, caregivers).
    • The Committee of Ten was formed by the National Education Association in 1892 and chaired by Harvard president Charles W. Eliot.
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    1 h et 25 min
  • WHAT HAPPENED TO TEDDY O'S? | Ted Banick Tells His Side

    WHAT HAPPENED TO TEDDY O'S? | Ted Banick Tells His Side
    May 30 2026
    🍺 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: pete@lakeforestpodcast.com#LakeForestPodcast #PeteJansons #JeffUrso #TeddyOBrians #Highwood#LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #LakeCountyIL #60045 #NorthShoreChicago#LiveMusic #LocalPolitics #SmallTownPolitics #LakeForestNews #LiveMusicHighwood
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    1 h et 8 min
  • A Packed Room, A Reopening Fight, And Both Sides On Tape — Teddy O'Brian's | Lake Forest Podcast

    A Packed Room, A Reopening Fight, And Both Sides On Tape — Teddy O'Brian's | Lake Forest Podcast
    May 23 2026

    🍺 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? pete@lakeforestpodcast.com📞 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
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    1 h et 7 min
  • “YOUR ARM’S TIRED!” | Inside Lake Forest Baseball’s Jungle

    “YOUR ARM’S TIRED!” | Inside Lake Forest Baseball’s Jungle
    May 16 2026

    ⚾ 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

    📩 pete@lakeforestpodcast.com / 847-922-4776We document. You decide.
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    32 min
  • “Raised Voices Are Not the Problem” — Open Letter to Lake Forest Leaders

    “Raised Voices Are Not the Problem” — Open Letter to Lake Forest Leaders
    May 9 2026
    🎙️ 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? pete@lakeforestpodcast.com📞 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
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    49 min