Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: Dueling Democrats turning up the rhetoric in the governor's race; Illinois trying to stave off an Asian carp invasion; Cook County commissioners slash president Todd Stroger's controversial sales tax hike; Chicago's rainy-day parking meter fund is nearly depleted already; Brian Urlacher has some harsh criticism for the Bears woes; and the Tiger Woods saga is drawing worldwide attention. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: Oprah Winfrey ending her talk show in 2011; Chicago School Board President Michael Scott's apparent suicide shocks the city; the Cook County Board votes to roll back the controversial sales tax hike; major conventions continue to leave McCormick Place for less expensive locales; and the Bears season on life support. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: The CTA avoids fare hikes but service cuts and layoffs are still looming; Jeanine Nicarico's killer, Brian Dugan, gets the death penalty; Governor Quinn decides to release prisoners early; Congressman Danny Davis bows out of the race for Cook County Board President; Chicago's magnet school admission policies are revamped; and another devastating loss puts the Bears season on the brink. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: President Obama marks the one-year anniversary of his election; former Attorney General Jim Ryan launches another gubernatorial bid; CTA drivers may strike over threatened layoffs; the agency that runs McCormick Place and Navy Pier is battered by the weak economy; and Bears fans are worried about the team's lack of offense. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: State lawmakers busy during the fall veto session; Cook County property taxes soaring; Illinois grappling with the swine flu; terrorism suspects arrested in Chicago; protesters take to the streets against the American Bankers Association annual meeting; new Cubs owner Tom Ricketts officially takes over; and the Bears hope to bounce back from one of the worst losses of the Lovie Smith era. Guests:

Tonight's panel discusses the week's top headlines: Mayor Daley dipping into reserve funds to plug gaping budget holes; the long-stalled Block 37 project runs into yet another delay; Cook County property taxes going up; Brown's Chicken killer James Degorski sentenced to life in prison; the EPA cracking down on BP's refinery expansion in northwest Indiana; Bears quarterback Jay Cutler signs a $30 million contract extension; and Bulls star Derrick Rose battling an ankle injury. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines; The CTA proposing $3 fares and service cuts; Mayor Daley urges lawmakers to repeal free senior transit rides; 90 African-American ministers endorse Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's re-election bid; downtown office vacancies at a 3-year high; Playboy hoping their new CEO can spark a revival; and the Bears getting ready for the Falcons. Guests:

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists take a look at what the impact of the failed bid will be on the city, politics and the country.

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: Oprah Winfrey joining Chicago's Olympic pitch team in Copenhagen next week; University of Illinois president Joseph White resigns in the wake of the admissions clout scandal; O'Hare Airport cited for numerous safety violations; Chicago cab drivers asking for a major rate hike; combustible Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley suspended for the rest of the season; and the Bears getting ready for the Seattle Seahawks. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines; President Obama throws a rally at the White House for Chicago's Olympic bid; former Rod Blagojevich confidant Chris Kelly commits suicide; Governor Quinn lands key union support; American Airlines expanding operations at O'Hare; Chicago Sun-Times union members vote against proposed concessions; Bears great Brian Urlacher out for the rest of the season with a wrist injury; and debate rages over a proposed statue of Walter Payton at Soldier Field. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: Chicago finds out its Olympic fate in just 3 weeks; President Obama takes his health care fight directly to the people; Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is plagued by poor poll numbers; the bidder for the Chicago Sun-Times is calling for major union concessions; Oprah Winfrey takes over Michigan Avenue; Bulls great Michael Jordan is enshrined in the Hall of Fame; and the Bears open the season against the Green Bay Packers. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: Senator Ted Kennedy remembered; Mayor Daley apologizes yet again for the controversial parking meter deal; Chicago's inspector general David Hoffman runs for the U.S. Senate; Governor Quinn backs off his threat to fire the final two University of Illinois Trustee holdouts; Illinois braces for the swine flu; Bears quarterback Jay Cutler takes on his old team, the Broncos; and has Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley been the subject of racial taunts by Cubs fans? Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: Politicians stumping at the state fair; Chicago's Uptown area: the latest neighborhood grappling with rising violence; Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. holds a town hall meeting on health care; Chicago learns its Olympic fate in just six weeks; Bears quarterback Jay Cutler hopes to rebound from his dismal pre-season debut; and the Cubs struggling down the stretch. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: The heated health care debate is raging all across the country; state political races starting to take shape; legalized video poker a tough sell in some locales; Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman calls for a property tax hike; a Chicago alderman uses clout to get his daughter into a coveted magnet school; a Wrigley Field bleacher bum dumps beer on an unsuspecting outfielder; and Blackhawk superstar Patrick Kane charged with felony robbery in a violent car fare dispute. Guests:

Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: A rash of robberies in Lincoln Park and the South Side have communities on alert; a scathing report rips the University of Illinois' clouted admissions policies; clout also investigated at Chicago's elite public schools; United Airlines moving their headquarters to the recently renamed Willis Tower; Ford pinning their revival on the new Taurus made right here in Chicago; the Cubs and Sox each battling for first-place; and new Bears quarterback Jay Cutler impressive in training camp. Guests: