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
Solar Eclipse Coming April 8th: Illinois’ Best Viewing Spots
April 8th will be here before you know it, which is why I'm giving you the heads-up on the rare phenomenon of a total solar eclipse happening on that day. Believe it or not, where you are located in Illinois will affect how much of the total eclipse you'll get see, so let's take a look at Illinois' best viewing spots.
Coyotes In Illinois: There Are A Lot More Than You Might Think
We're currently in the middle of coyote mating season here in Illinois, in case you were wondering why there have been some unusual yipping and howling noises during the nighttime hours. If you grew up with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons like I did, you probably thought coyotes were something that only people in the southwest U.S. have to deal with---and we were both wrong. You'll be surprised by the number of coyotes that call Illinois home.
Aurora Borealis: Illinois May See The Northern Lights This Month
If you're hoping to get a look at the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, you normally have to get yourself far north of where we live in Illinois. However, once in a while atmospheric conditions are just right for those of us living south of Canada to get a rare look at one of the coolest things you can see in nature, and it looks like this month's conditions will be right.
Illinois’ Neighbor Has 41 Of The 50 Drunkest Counties In The U.S.
As long as we're this close to a holiday involving green beer and drinking to excess as its theme, I thought it would be fun to look at one of Illinois' next-door neighbors. This neighbor has quite the reputation for elbow-bending, and as it turns out, that reputation is well-earned.
Check Out The Weird Things Illinois Is Asking “Dr. Google” Online
Depending on how you conduct your searches, going online to figure out if your medical symptoms mean anything can be a smart move, but many times we get things wrong and freak ourselves out. Regardless of the outcome of their searches, these are some of the stranger medical-based things that we Illinoisans have been asking Google over the last year.
2 Illinois Eateries Make Yelp’s “Top 100 Seafood Spots In U.S.”
Being land-locked near the middle of the country like Illinois is, it's somewhat surprising that not one, but two Illinois seafood restaurants make a "best in the country" list, but here we are. If you're a seafood lover who just doesn't have the time and money to go out and catch your own dinner, these are the Illinois joints that ratings-site Yelp members say are our state's best.
Illinois Storms: Can You Be Struck By Lightning If You’re Inside?
We've all, at one time or another, spent some time at a window looking out at a lightning storm going through our area. Have you ever felt unsafe doing that, if it was just lightning and not a situation where you were worried about a tornado?
Naperville’s Really Weird World Record Was Just Broken
It took 12 years for someone to do it, but Naperville's strange world record for the amount of people willing to show up and completely reverse the order of how a normal person gets dressed has finally fallen to an out-of-state competitor.
A Major Retailer In Illinois Is Cracking Down On Coupon Users
Some are reacting to this major retailer's coupon policy changes like we should call it Coupon-ageddon, while others feel like it's just a company readjusting things for the current economy.
Of All The Illinois Irish Pubs, Food Website Says This One Is #1
In Illinois, Irish pubs are not quite as plentiful as Italian restaurants, but we've certainly got a lot of them to choose from. Not that any of them are bad, but according to a popular foodie website there is one Irish pub that stands head and shoulders (if not shillelaghs and shamrocks) above the rest.