I consider myself lucky to have been born and raised right here in the Rock River Valley, a place that my family and my wife Amy's family have called home for generations. I was first hired at WROK in 1983, and except for a short departure, I've spent my entire career right here in Rockford. Halloween of 2019 will mark my 18th anniversary of hosting the WROK Morning Show, making me the longest-serving morning show host in the station's nearly 100-year history. Amy and I have been happily married for 28 years, with two (now grown) children, Spencer (who does voice-overs for audio books and commercial voice-over work, too), and Molly (a graduate of Rock Valley College who also dazzles with service at a popular local restaurant). I'm luckier than I ever thought possible. When I'm not here at the station, I can usually be found at one of Rockford's many great, local events, either as host/master of ceremonies, or as an attendee. If we should meet, feel free to buy me 1 to 7 drinks.
Riley O'Neil
Cicada Swarm Causes Ohio Man To Crash His Car
Think of what's going on with cicadas just to the east of the Rockford area as a sort of precursor to what we're going to be going through in three short years.
Illinois Man Becomes Oldest American To Conquer Mt. Everest
Through the years, over 300 people have lost their lives climbing Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak, and there are still 100 or more bodies scattered about the different routes to the top.
Home Improvement Scams Are Up In The Rockford Area
Normally, the warnings about home improvement scams go out right after some sort of weather event like destructive storms, flooding, damaging winds or similar occurrences.
Amazon Says They’re Not Testing Job Applicants For Marijuana
When you have 16 states where recreational marijuana is legal and 20 or so states where medical marijuana has been given the green light, is it really a surprise to see more and more companies back away from testing for weed in their employees?
Governor Pritzker Thinks A Lottery Prize Might Encourage Vaccinations
Currently, there are eight states in the U.S. that offer "vaccine lotteries" as a way to encourage their citizens to get out and get the COVID-19 shot(s). Illinois wants to be the 9th state to do it.
Bill To Ban Puppy Mills Heads To Governor’s Desk For Signing
A month or so back, we heaped some serious praise on Freeport's State Representative Andrew Chesney for getting Illinois House Bill 1711(HB-1711), also known as the "Anti Puppy Mill" bill passed out of the Illinois House.
Judge Greenlights Early End To Blagojevich’s Court Supervision
After all the years of a sometimes circus-like atmosphere surrounding him and his legal problems, it looks like the judicial system is done with former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich as of yesterday.
Rockford Area Text Message, Airfare Scams On The Rise
Thanks to our friend Dennis Horton, Director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we learned a new word this morning: Smishing.
Downstate McDonalds Offer Workers Free iPhones For Staying 6 Months
What's a new iPhone going to cost you if you ran out right now to grab one, about $1000 or so, depending on the offers you look at? You could do that, or you might want to jump behind the counter at a McDonalds in Altamont, Illinois.
There’s A Lot Of Talk That The Chicago Bears Are Going To Be Sold
Yesterday, the buzz started to grow about some apparent strife within the McCaskey family that may eventually wind up with the Chicago Bears being sold.