Riley O'Neil has logged more hours behind a microphone than any other Rockford radio personality, starting out with his hiring at WROK in February of 1983. He’s also the longest-tenured morning show host in WROK's 100-year history, with 22 years as the host of the WROK Morning Show. He’s a multi award-winning commercial producer, voice-over artist, and much sought after product and service endorser for multiple local businesses. In addition to hosting the WROK Morning Show with Joe Dredge, Riley also writes for 1440WROK.com, covering everything from Illinois' best local restaurants, to some of the wildest and funniest things Illinois residents have gotten themselves into, and everything in-between.
Riley O'Neil
Live In Illinois? Keep Some Of This On Your Patio All Summer
If you're an Illinoisan with a patio or deck (or even if you just hang out in your garage), summertime is a great time for being outside and enjoying it. If you can remember to keep some of this particular material around your deck, patio, or garage, you'll enjoy this summer much more than you have in the past. As an added bonus, this stuff is pretty inexpensive.
Illinois Foods You Must Try Before You Die, According To Foodies
It wouldn't be surprising if you're thinking to yourself "I've had deep-dish pizza, what else is there when it comes to foods that are Illinois-centric?" Well, for one thing, there's some debate about how "Illinois" deep-dish pizza really is, and for another, there are plenty of foods that Illinoisans eat more than Chicago-style pizza, so let's take a look.
Most Boring Places In Illinois: Travel Site Names The 10 Yawniest
After making the mistake of once telling my dad I was bored during summer vacation and having him find lots of chores for me to fix that, I've been careful about saying something is boring. However, travel websites that track these sorts of things have no problem at all telling you that Illinois has got some seriously dull places to visit...assuming you'd ever want to.
Study Says Illinoisans Call Out Sick A Lot For 1 Non-Sick Reason
Sure, I guess that "technically" you're not supposed to call in sick if you're not actually under the weather, but c'mon, let's be honest about this. We've all done it at one time or another, but a new study says that Illinoisans call in sick quite a bit for one particular reason that has absolutely nothing to do with illness.
You Won’t Believe How Many Cars Were Stolen In Illinois Last Year
Thefts of vehicles are skyrocketing across the United States, and Illinois is certainly no exception. Unsurprisingly, California leads the nation in overall vehicles being stolen, but Illinois ranks in the top five states that had the most vehicles swiped in 2023.
Seafood Joint With 27 Illinois Locations Considers Bankruptcy
This famous seafood restaurant, with 100s of locations throughout the United States, may have some very big financial problems to deal with after one of their most popular promotions happened to be just a little bit too popular--and might bankrupt them.
Major Illinois Food Plant To Close Due To Massive Product Recalls
When a company gets hit with a single product recall, it can be a very, very expensive experience. When a company gets hit with one product recall after another product recall, it can end up with plants closing and hundreds of workers being let go---and that's exactly what has happened here in Illinois.
Illinois Gets A Good Look At The Lyrid Meteor Shower This Weekend
In the course of a single week, Illinois sky-watchers get a look at a solar eclipse, the Devil Comet, and the Lyrid Meteor Showers. One of those, the eclipse, has already happened, but this weekend you may see both the Devil Comet and the Lyrids all from the comfort of your backyard or favorite viewing spot.
10 Illinois Cities Make The “100 Safest Cities In America” List
The study is based on FBI crime statistics and crime data from their most recent crime data release in October of 2023. We'll look at the 10 Illinois cities to make the safest cities list, and breakdown the numbers for Illinois' top 20 safest cities overall.
The “Devil Comet” Can Be Seen From Illinois This Weekend
Hot on the heels of a really cool solar eclipse a little over a week ago, this weekend we're going to get a look at what's being called a once-in-a-lifetime event with the arrival of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as the Devil Comet.