From the Newsroom: Rockford Register Star Podcast

The Rockford Register Star's coverage of the Chemtool industrial fire incident in Rockton, Illinois. Several representatives from emergency responders and the health department briefed reporters on the latest details regarding health concerns for people and the environment. We'll hear from Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson, Winnebago County Public Health Administrator Sandra Martell, and Craig Thomas, the federal on-site coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Produced by Scott P. Yates/Rockford Register Star)

The former Hononegah wrestler, and UFC fighter, Corey Anderson, is now working his way up the Bellator ladder and recently advanced to the semifinals of the light heavyweight Grand Prix, with a $1M prize awaiting the winner. Anderson sat down and talked about his personal life, and his professional career, as well as why he believes he can win the $1M tournament.

The First Free Rockford Worship band performs during a community prayer event at the intersection of South Main Street at Morgan Street Saturday, May 1, 2021, in Rockford. Brother Carlos Chacon, South Side Outreach Ministry and a Spanish language minister with the Salvation Army, who hosted the event, says that community and faith will bring hope to improve the South side of Rockford. More at RRSTAR.COM.

Kathy Reum is looking for closure. Her 28-year-old son, Patrick Michael Reum, was last seen around 6 p.m. on Dec. 12 walking out of his house in the 400 block of South First Street in Rockford’s Haight Village neighborhood. Kathy Reum and volunteer search teams were mobilized Saturday to walk along both sides of the Rock River while crews in boats equipped with sonar and cadaver dogs scoured the river itself. Anyone with information is asked to call Rockford police at 815-966-2900 or Rockford Area Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867. For more on this story go to www.rrstar.com. Reporting by Ken DeCoster/Rockford Register Star. Audio recording and production by Scott P. Yates/Rockford Register Star.

Tony Cassioppi, the former Hononegah wrestler who won two state titles with an undefeated record back in his high school days, is starting to make some noise at the top college level now, too. Cassioppi finished third in the Big Ten Championships at heavyweight for the second year in a row, and then this time, when he got his shot, he took third at the NCAA wrestling championships last weekend. Listen to all of his stories.

Head coach Tom Guse and point guard Zach Derus talk about Lutheran's undefeated boys basketball season, and what they could have done with a state tournament this year, during this week's "Not Just a Game" podcast, with host Jay Taft. Then, Winnebago's star post player Ethan Ackerman, who missed the end of the basketball season because he was in quarantine, talks about his excitement as he got out of lockdown just in time to start football practice with the Indians.

Sister Stephanie Baliga used to run competitively for Auburn and then the University of Illinois, but now she does it to help fund the Mission of Our Lady of Angel and its food pantry that feeds over 1,000 people a day. Sister Stephanie, this week's guest on the "Not Just a Game" podcast, organizes a charity team for the Chicago Marathon every year, and her team has raised over $1M for the mission since she's started. Hear her story right here.

Fran Volz carves a mermaid out of snow on the empty lot at the corner of North Church Street and John Street on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in Rockford. Volz, a professional sculptor, bought the property after a fire destroyed a home there in the summer of 2020. He began sculpting by making Smurf statues in his yard in his 30s. He wanted to make a snow sculpture this year after his teammates dropped out of the annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition to be held at Sinnissippi Park later this year. Read more from the Rockford Register Star at RRSTAR.COM.

Anthony Billups, the former Hononegah star pitcher who transformed into an artist and musician in the Nashville, Tennessee, scene, talks about his mural-painting business as well as his music career. He just released his third country-music album, and he plays one of his new songs, "Nashville Superstar," near the end of the podcast.

Anthony Billups was a star pitcher for Hononegah back in the late-90s and early 2000s, and went on to pitch his way through college. But a car accident and temporary blindness set him on a path toward art and music, and now he's a rising star in Nashville, Tennessee. Here is Chapter 1 of 2 of Billups' story, starting with his high school baseball days and leading up to his accident and his growing love for art and music. (Chapter 2 is coming soon.)

Courtney Oakes, the Winnebago County Market Manager for Northern Illinois Food Bank, asks for more volunteers to help distribute food to shoppers at Northern Illinois Food Bank. Oakes was interviewed at the food bank on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Rockford. Read more about this story at www.rrstar.com. Reporting by Andrea V. Watson and Scott P. Yates/Rockford Register Star.

Former Harlem star and Syracuse defensive end Josh Black recently made the decision to return to college for one more football season — and to get his Master's degree. Listen to Josh talk about his reasons for returning, his hopes for the future, and his NFL aspirations on this week's podcast.

Former East and RVC star Madi Hecox has battled back from heart surgery — for a heart ailment that she discovered by chance when her new school happened to test her — and just had her first double-double for her new team, Southeastern University out of Lakeland, Florida. Now Hecox is finding ways to help others who may suffer from the same issues she dealt with as well as starring on the basketball court. Hear her story here.

Charley Kurlinkus won the high jumping state championship while a student-athlete at Hononegah, and now he's an emergency room doctor in Sacramento, California. But when he's not working, he's soaring through the air as one of the world's top BASE jumpers. He talks about both sides of his life as this week's guest on "Not Just a Game."

Former Freeport Pretzel stars Steve, Vance and Deion McShane sit down together with host Jay Taft and talk about what they've all been through this past year — as well as having a few laughs. Steve is rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon from his short stint in the XFL, while Vance and Deion have decided to forgo the track and field season so they can play spring football at Saint Xavier and Northern Iowa, respectively.

Senior left tackle Vederian Lowe, a former Auburn standout, talks about playing college football during COVID-19, why the Fighting Illini stumbled early in the season, and what he thinks it's going to take for Illinois to finish strong as this week's guest on the podcast, "Not Just a Game."

It's Black Friday. Shoppers were cued up before sunrise outside some chain stores in Rockford to take part in discounts and deals on their favorite items. Here's the Almonasi family walking out of the GameStop with two new PlayStation 5 game consoles. Register Star reporter Shaquil Manigault has more on this story, on our website at www.rrstar.com. Produced by Scott P. Yates / Rockford Register Star

Former Harlem standout Ben Black has worked his way up the coaching ranks the past five years and is now a graduate assistant working with the defensive line at Indiana University. The Hoosiers are on a historic run, even after losing by one touchdown to Ohio State last weekend, and Black is right in the thick of things. His younger brother Josh Black is a defensive lineman at Syracuse, and Ben and Josh talk "almost daily" as well.

As the holidays approach, public health officials and doctors say they anticipate a fresh coronavirus surge after Thanksgiving if people don’t shelter in place. Their message to Rockfordians and residents of northern Illinois, is to stay home - and wear a mask if outside travel is necessary. Dr. James Cole, surgeon-in-chief at SwedishAmerican, discussed the alarming spike in COVID-19 cases he is seeing now – and that he expects to see after the holidays, and what impact that may have on the readiness of the hospital systems and healthcare workers. The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 15,415 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in the state, including 27 additional deaths. As of Friday afternoon, IDPH reported a total of 551,957 cases since the pandemic began, including 10,504 deaths. Winnebago County has recorded a total of 14,421 cases and 206 deaths. Rockford Register Star reporter Andrea Watson has more of this story on our website at https://www.rrstar.com/news/20201113/winnebago-county-health-experts-fear-covid-19-surge-tied-to-holidays

Green Bay Packers' fifth-year starting defensive lineman Dean Lowry joins Jay Taft on this week's "Not Just a Game" podcast to talk about COVID-19, the Packers, and their matchup with Jacksonville on Sunday. Former Rockford Lutheran star James Robinson is the Jaguars' starting running back, and Lowry, the former Rockford Boylan stud, hopes to be helping to corral him in their showdown at Lambeau Field.