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
It’s 2024, When Will Illinois Switch To Digital Licenses?
Multiple states have made the switch to, or at least offered an option for, digital licenses. Reviews from the public in those states has been very positive about the switch, so when will the state of Illinois get on board with digital licenses?
Illinois Snow Sculpting Gets Going This Week In Sinnissippi Park
Sure, there have been some years that Northern Illinois' weather has been too warm and sloppy to properly hold the Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition at Sinnissippi Park in Rockford, but 2024's competition, starting this week, seems to have Mother Nature on its side.
How Illinois Heating Bills Compare To Other States (Not Good)
We're fresh off of a lengthy period of sub-zero weather, and I'm fairly sure that you used your furnace during that time period. We all know the bills are coming, but how do the heating bills we get in Illinois compare with the other states? As you might imagine, it's not a good comparison.
Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives: Here’s Every Illinois Joint Visited
If you wanted to visit every single place in the country that has been paid a visit by Guy Fieri, you'd end up stopping at over 1,300 restaurants. If you're just looking to keep in Illinois-centric, how many Triple-D joints do you think there are here in the Land of Lincoln?
New Hobby For 2024? Lots Of Illinoisans Are Looking Into This
A new survey asked Illinois residents what alternative (or different than the usual) types of hobbies are you looking to get into in 2024, and the number one answer is somewhat surprising. So are several others that are drawing interest.
A Midwestern City Beamed A Message To Outer Space Inviting Aliens
Sure, you might think it's a dumb idea, but who's going to have the last laugh when alien tourists start showing up from all over the galaxy with money to spend on souvenirs that say "Mom and Dad Traveled Light Years To The Midwest And All I Got Was This Lousy Shirt."
Why Warming Up Your Car Is Both Legal And Illegal In Illinois
Every year at this time, you'll probably hear someone weigh in on the topic of letting the car idle in the driveway long enough to get the defroster and the heater working; is it okay to do that, or are you facing some trouble?
Should You Put A Coat On Your Dog In Illinois’ Frigid Weather?
I've seen plenty of Northern Illinois dogs wearing coats, sweaters, and boots lately, so I thought I would do some digging to see if outerwear for Illinois' dogs is really necessary during this incredibly cold weather.
There Are Only 14 People In Illinois’ Smallest Town
I keep thinking of the theme song from Cheers. Except in this place, everyone not only knows your name, they know everyone in your family's name, your pet's name, your Social Security number, and the height and weight of your childhood imaginary friend.
Travel Site Names The 10 Most Boring Places In Illinois
I guess we have to ask ourselves if Illinois is a boring state or not. Just the title of this piece alone seems to say that there are a lot of boring places in the Land of Lincoln, so we've boiled it down to ten. A high school teacher once said to be that places aren't boring, but people certainly can be. It also helps to understand the what may bore one person can thrill another one. Let's see if that's true in Illinois.