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.
Illinois Cicada Invasion: Here’s When Experts Say They’ll Show Up
So we've been hearing for months and months about the upcoming dual emergence of two broods of cicadas that will bring billions, if not a trillion cicadas to the surface and into our lives. We keep hearing that it will happen "this spring," but many of us would like the prediction to be a bit more specific. Here's what the cicada experts have to say about the timing of the cicada emergence.
Illinois City Is The 1st To Ban Menthol Cigs And Flavored Tobacco
The push to ban menthol cigarettes, flavored tobacco products, and flavored vaping items has been going on for quite a while, but no cities in Illinois have gone all in and banned those products---until now. One Illinois city has decided that those products and several others items will no longer be allowed to be sold.
Family Dollar Shutdown: Here’s The List Of Illinois Closings
When the news broke last month that Dollar Tree, owner of Family Dollar stores, would be closing up to 1,000 Family Dollar locations, they didn't say which stores would be in line for permanent shuttering. Now, that information is starting to trickle out, including the announcement of the first Family Dollar stores in Illinois set for closure.
Decline It! Illinois Residents, Skip Calls From These Area Codes
Most of us are aware that there are scammers out there trying to trick you into clicking on fake emails and/or texts so they can get your personal information or money, but did you know that you could find yourself being taken by doing nothing but simply answering a call from certain area codes?
Major Retailer To Close 1K Stores, Including Some Illinois Spots
A major player in discount stores with over 108 Illinois locations is planning on closing 1,000 stores across the country, and 600 of those locations should be closed by summer.
Illinois Cicada Spring Invasion: Do You Know About Their Pee?
By now, you've probably heard about this once-every-200-years emergence of cicadas we're about to experience this spring here in Illinois and some other places. There are going to be billions, if not a trillion of these bugs surfacing throughout Illinois, but the one thing not many are discussing is the problem with cicada urine.
Here’s When (And How) They’ll Dye Chicago’s River Green
Many things just scream St. Patrick's day; lots of green clothing, lots and lots of green beer, shamrocks, parades, corned beef and cabbage, and of course, the traditional dyeing of the Chicago River. Here's when and how Chicago authorities plan to make the river turn green.
These Are The Hardest To Pronounce Town Names In Illinois
From difficult to say Native American town names to old-world town names that we've decided to pronounce differently, Illinois has got a tongue-tying city or town name for everyone.
When Do We Change Our Clocks In Illinois? This Weekend!
Since our elected officials can't seem to get off of their butts and dump this twice-yearly habit of springing forward and falling back (even though over 75% of people want it gone), we're going to have to do it again this weekend. But, as an added bonus, at least you get to lose an hour's worth of sleep.