Riley O'Neil

I consider myself lucky to have been born and raised right here in the Rock River Valley, a place that my family and my wife Amy's family have called home for generations. I was first hired at WROK in 1983, and except for a short departure, I've spent my entire career right here in Rockford. Halloween of 2019 will mark my 18th anniversary of hosting the WROK Morning Show, making me the longest-serving morning show host in the station's nearly 100-year history. Amy and I have been happily married for 28 years, with two (now grown) children, Spencer (who does voice-overs for audio books and commercial voice-over work, too), and Molly (a graduate of Rock Valley College who also dazzles with service at a popular local restaurant). I'm luckier than I ever thought possible. When I'm not here at the station, I can usually be found at one of Rockford's many great, local events, either as host/master of ceremonies, or as an attendee. If we should meet, feel free to buy me 1 to 7 drinks.

Illinois Man Wins $1 Million After Wife Says To Stop Playing

Your spouse says stop buying lottery tickets. You ignore that and buy a lottery ticket worth a million dollars. My question is, in your house, are you in trouble with your spouse for doing this? I think my wife would be too busy making "money angels" on the kitchen floor that she'd forget to be mad at me.

Illinois County Wants To Leave The State, Become Part Of Missouri

Here's the thing, it's really not just one Illinois county. You may not be aware of it, but over 25 percent of Illinois' 102 counties would like separate themselves from the state of Illinois for a variety of reasons, but there's been some pushback on the idea.

It’s Halloween Time: Here Are Some Of Illinois’ Biggest Fears

Take a moment and think about yourself. How many phobias do you personally deal with, if any? Going into this, I assumed that about half the population had some sort of phobia, but it turns out that I was way off in my guess.

Study Names This Place As Illinois’ Most Charming Small Town

There's no shortage of small towns scattered throughout the state of Illinois. Some are vibrant, some are rundown, but of all the small towns in the Land of Lincoln, one particular place gets the title of Illinois' most charming small town.

7 Illinois High Schools Named Among Best 50 In The United States

Having seven high schools ranked in the top 50 high schools in the entire country is pretty cool, but in order to send your kid to one of Illinois' top ranked high schools, you might have to call a realtor and moving company.

104 Year Old Chicago Woman Breaks World Skydiving Record

For anyone who has "skydiving" on their lifetime bucket list, this is a great example of it never being too late to do something you've always wanted to do.

Shortage: Clorox Wipes May Be Hard To Find In Illinois-Here’s Why

Just in time for cold and flu season comes the news that one of Illinois' and the nation's go-to products, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, will probably be in short supply due to some manufacturing problems.

Check The Numbers: Which Midwestern State Drinks The Most?

When it comes to elbow-bending with a beverage in our hands, Midwesterners can pretty much drink with anyone in the country. However, when it comes to drinking, which Midwestern state's residents are pounding more than their neighboring states? You probably have a good guess for this one.

8 Of The 10 Deadliest Insects In The World Live In Illinois

If you've always thought that one of the big advantages of living in Illinois is our relative lack of deadly creatures (animal or insect), you might want to think about revising that opinion. We've got some nasty creepy-crawlies in the insect world, and they love living in Illinois.

Trick-Or-Treating: Is There A Maximum Age Limit In Illinois?

We've all had the experience of someone who is just too old to be out trick-or-treating showing up at our door on Halloween, but do we have rules in place that make that illegal in Illinois? Well, in some places the answer is definitely yes.