Riley O'Neil

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.

Do Dogs In Illinois Really Need To Wear Coats In Cold Weather?

When Illinois' weather starts to take a frigid turn, you start seeing more and more dogs sporting winter coats, Of course, from a fashion angle, they look fabulous, but do Illinois dogs really need a coat for anything other than compliments?

If You Win The Illinois Lottery, Do You Have To Give Your Name?

The country is buzzing over a person in Georgia who just became the single winner of Wednesday's Powerball jackpot. The as-of-yet unnamed lottery player won the $478.2 million prize doesn't have to give up their anonymity because of Georgia's laws on privacy. What would happen if an Illinois resident won? Can you remain anonymous in our state?

Here Are The Odds Of Anyone From Illinois Becoming A Pro Athlete

Nearly everyone, at some point in their lives, has dreamt of becoming a big-time professional athlete in one of the major sports. For some, it's an impossible dream, but for others...there might be a chance. The question is how much of a chance do you have, and what pro sport offers the best chance of it happening? Here are the answers.

Illinois Charm: Experts Name Illinois’ “12 Most Charming Towns”

There are small charming towns scattered all over our state, so it's nice to see a group that's not headquartered in Illinois throw some love at those places. Sure, Galena is always going to make this kind of list, but there are also eleven more Illinois spots you should definitely visit if you're looking to be charmed.

Illinois Is Starting To Get Cold–Do Our Dogs Really Need Coats?

It's not at all unusual to see some dogs here in Illinois sporting coats (and sometimes even boots) in the cold weather, but do they really need those things or is it an excuse to dress them up for our own enjoyment? Here's the answer.

New Frozen Pizza Recall Affects Illinois And Two Other States

We've had a steady stream in 2024 of food product recalls in Illinois and across the nation, so it seems only fitting that we squeeze in what we hope will be one last product recall involving food before we make the changeover to 2025.

Study Names Illinois’ “Safest And Most Affordable” City For 2024

Living someplace safe is great, unless that place is unaffordable. Conversely, it's nice to live someplace affordable, but not if you're constantly worried for your personal safety. A new study found one city in the entire state of Illinois hit the mark for both safety and affordability in 2024.

Illinois Pet Owners: These 7 Holiday Plants Are Toxic To Pets

At Thanksgiving time, it's about the foods you should and shouldn't allow your pet to eat, but then at Christmastime you also have to consider not only the foods to avoid but the holiday plants, too. Here are the ones to keep away from the four-legged family members in your house.

Bees In Illinois: Ever Wondered Where They Go When It Gets Cold?

Some things migrate toward the south and warmer weather, other things dig in and hunker down for a long winter's nap, but what happens to Illinois' bees, wasps, and yellow jackets when the weather turns frigid?

Thanksgiving In Illinois: Here Are The Foods Safe For Your Pets

If you have pets, then you already know how hard it is to keep them away from the mountains of food that are part of the Thanksgiving holiday. You probably also know that many of the the things we humans love about the Thanksgiving Day table aren't very good for your dog or cat to consume. Let's take a look a what foods are.