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
Man Claims To Have Photos Of Bigfoot Running Around Iowa
It seems as though we just can't get away from Bigfoot. It wasn't all that long ago that I read of a Bigfoot and Bigfoot baby possibly being filmed in Michigan. Another piece had Bigfoot indulging a love for cheese in Wisconsin.
UFOs Over Illinois: 4000 Reported Sightings In The Last Year!
I'm sure you've already got it in your phone's calendar, but on the outside chance that you don't, I just want to remind you that in addition to this weekend being 4th of July (or, Independence Day) Weekend, this Saturday, July 2nd, is also World UFO Day.
Here’s What Illinois Says About Home 4th Of July Fireworks This Year
It's probably already started near your house, right? Starting at about 2 weeks before Independence Day, many people who've made the hike up to Beloit to buy fireworks start shooting them off leading up to their big backyard show on July 4th.
Mc-Sued! Illinois Man Goes After McDonald’s Over Voice Recognition
In today's world, drive-throughs account for a larger share of fast-food sales than ever before (in America's biggest markets, it can be as high as 70% of sales at McDonald's), and America's major chains are moving to speed things up as much as possible.
Here’s How Much Sleep The Average Illinois Resident Is Getting
Obviously, from the photos I've chosen to accompany this piece, you can tell that Illinoisans are a well-rested, solid-eight-hours-of-shut-eye-every-night bunch of people, right?
Illinois Is Changing A Fish’s Name…So You’ll Want To Eat It
You've got to hand it to the expert marketers out there. They know that you'll probably never ask the server at your favorite restaurant for details on their daily special of "invasive carp."
Were Jurassic Park Movie Dinos in Illinois Millions Of Years Ago?
With the new Jurassic Park movie raking in millions of dollars at the box office, dinosaurs are once again at the front of public consciousness. But millions of years ago, when there was very little public consciousness, were there dinosaurs running around what is now Illinois?
Man Biking All 50 States Gets His Butt Chomped By Illinois Dog
Throughout the state of Illinois today, several people are going to call their dog a "big pain in the ass," but only one of those people is going to be literally and provably correct.
Wow! The Crazy Number Of Spam Calls Illinoisans Get Every Week
How widespread are spam calls? Think about this for a second: over the last year, nearly 60 million Americans say that they lost money as a result of being phone-scammed for a nationwide total of almost $30 billion.
Throwback: 150 Years Ago, These Were Illinois’ Most Common Jobs
If you think about it, there's probably a good chance that the job you hold now probably didn't even exist in Illinois back 150 years ago (1872), with scattered exceptions.