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
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.
Illinois Is Working To Ban Skittles And Mountain Dew–Here’s Why
Did you know that there's an extensive list of food and drink products that Americans consume but that are banned in other countries? If some current legislation in Springfield finds its way to the governor's desk for signature, many of those very same foods banned elsewhere would also be banned here in the state of 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.
The Best Mexican Food In Illinois? Foodie Website Says Go Here
It's nice to know that we have no shortage of really great restaurants in Illinois, no matter what type of cuisine you're looking for. If your goal is to hit every food joint that receives a "best in the state" rating from foodie websites, then you have to hit this place for what one site called the very best Mexican food in Illinois.
Illinois Has $5 Billion In Unclaimed Property–Is Any Of It Yours?
Maybe you're doing really well and aren't interested in adding more to your list of possessions at all, or maybe you're a normal human being who wouldn't mind finding out that there might be some unclaimed wealth with your name on it. I think I fall into the second group.
Cicadas Are Coming, And These Household Items Attract Even More
The coming historical cicada emergence is going to happen, and according to everything I've read, there's very little you can do to stop your yard from being filled with them. There's really nothing you can do to keep them away, including using pesticides, but did you know that by using some everyday household items you can accidently attract even more of them (not that anyone would want to do that)?
Forget Cicadas: Why Is Illinois Crawling With Wild Turkeys?
I know we're supposed to be planning for an invasion of several billion, if not a trillion, cicadas in the next few weeks, but there are other invaders who are already making themselves known all over the state. These particular invaders seem pretty cocky with Thanksgiving seven long months from now.