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
Is This The Hottest Hobby In Illinois For 2024?
Illinois residents looking for the right hobby have no shortage of things to choose from, but one particular back-to-nature, or, back-to-basics type of hobby has been taking the state of Illinois by storm and has quite the buzz about it.
Illinois’ Wasps Are Everywhere-Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Kill Them
It's late Summer heading into Fall, and Illinois' population of wasps and yellow jackets are really plentiful right now. Like many of us, your first instinct is probably to kill them on sight, especially if they're around your home. As much as you may want to end them, there are some pretty good reasons not to.
By The Numbers: How Much Alcohol Illinois And The Midwest Drinks
Remember when we got all those warnings early in the pandemic about being careful about how much wine, beer, and/or booze we were pouring down our throats while we were forced into locking down at home?
200 Illinois Skydivers Are Trying To Set A World Record This Week
As of this writing (Thursday morning, 9:30), two hundred skydivers are still trying to set the World’s Largest Vertical Formation record at Skydive Chicago that they began trying to set earlier in the week. Considering what they're attempting, I can understand why it hasn't happened yet.
You Feeling Okay? Life Expectancy In Illinois Drops By 2 Years
According to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), across the United States, life expectancy dropped to 77 years in 2020, down from 78.8 in 2019. Not one state saw an increase in life expectancy in 2020.
Mask Mandate Is Back At Illinois Driver’s License Facilities
When the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) says that it is fully adopting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new masking guidelines, it's a pretty safe bet that others will follow suit.
Illinois Remains One Of The Most Restrictive States On Fireworks
Here's a little sample of an exchange between several of my coworkers when we were discussing the upcoming 4th of July festivities in a staff meeting this morning:
Illinois Giving Away Millions In Vax Lottery, Here’s The Schedule
If you've gotten the COVID-19 vaccination, you probably did it to protect yourself from contracting the coronavirus, expecting no reward whatsoever beyond virus avoidance.
Illinois Department Of Transportation Warns Of Fake Texts, Emails
If you haven't received a phony email or text from someone purporting to be with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), just be patient because you probably will.
Deadly Algae That Can Kill Your Dog Is Growing In Illinois Lakes
If you recall, back in 2019, The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) were asking Illinois residents to be more vigilant about where they boat, ski, and swim over the summer due to blue-green algae "blooms" that are occurring in Illinois' lakes and rivers.