Each month’s most-read Rock River Current stories in 2022
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — This year’s most-read story was about a slice of pizza and a slice of Rockford business history.
It was about Lino’s Restaurant’s move to expand into Loves Park with an approach that hadn’t been used in this area until now. The new carryout-only restaurant was built inside a 53-foot long shipping container, but inside is the same Fauld’s oven that’s been a staple at Lino’s for 50 years.
Readers of the Rock River Current, it turns out, were always eager to sink their teeth into a story about food. We analyzed the most-read stories on our website for each month, and restaurant-related news took the top spot four times.
The other top spots included the heartbreaking story of Connor White, who died at age 24 of a drug overdose, and stories we broke first such as the sale of a former Hilander, the reopening of a Rockford burger staple, a first look at a proposal for the Barber-Colman property and the aforementioned story about Linos.
It also included exclusive stories such as our in-depth coverage of a photojournalist’s acquittal after being arrested during protests in 2020, our lighthearted-look at where a Rockford girl who became a viral meme is now, and a fun — with a capital F — take on fixes needed for the Rockford sign in Davis Park.
Here are the stories you clicked and read the most for each month of 2022.
January
Taco John’s closes Rockford location
Taco John’s closed its location at 3629 S. Alpine Road on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022.
The building wasn’t empty for too long. By the end of September, Subway had moved from its spot across the street into the former taco shop.
February
Rockford photojournalist acquitted after arrest during 2020 protests
Albert Riley Jr., a freelance photojournalist covering protests in downtown Rockford in fall 2020, was acquitted by a jury after a four-day trial in February.
Riley told us that members of the jury said he should have never had to stand trial.
“They all came up and said, ‘I’m sorry you went through this.’ They all shook my hand and said, ‘You should’ve never went through this.”
March
Rockford’s crying girl became a viral meme. Here’s what she’s up to now
Nevaeh Johnson had a rough first day of school as a 5-year-old, and a picture former Rockford Register Star photojournalist Max Gersh captured turned into a viral meme.
We caught up with Nevaeh, now a middle-schooler, to find out how she feels about her viral fame.
April
‘It’s like coming home’: 15th & Chris to reopen Rockford restaurant
15th & Chris, a small carryout restaurant that James Purifoy turned into one of the most popular burger joints in the city, reopened in April for the first time in roughly two years.
May
How This Belvidere Home Went From Problem Property To $190K Listing
An abandoned house at 1000 Nettie St. in Belvidere was a common source of complaints: everything from overgrown grass to rodent infestations.
But the former eyesore became a success story for the Region 1 Land Bank after it was purchased and repaired by David Reyes, the owner of Advantage Realtors, and his son, Gabriel.
June
Drink in ’90s nostalgia at this new downtown Rockford coffee shop
Inzombia Coffee, 306 E. State St., opened June 10 in downtown Rockford.
The coffee shop’s interior is designed to provoke feelings of nostalgia for ’80s and ’90s kids like the owner, Pete DuFoe.
July
Former Hilander on North Main in Rockford has new owners. Next use is ‘open to all possibilities’
The former Hilander grocery store on North Main Street was sold to new owners who spruced up the property to attempt to attract new tenants.
Los Angeles-based Woodforest Investment Group purchased the property for $3.2 million from North Main Rockford, according to records from the Winnebago County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
August
Boone County Fair queen pageant delivers a first in 14 years
This year’s Boone County Fair Queen pageant ended with a tie for the first time in 14 years.
Maci McCoy, who is now a senior Belvidere High School, eventually earned the crown after a bonus round of questions.
September
What the ‘F’ is wrong with the Rockford sign? Here’s what’s being done to fix it
We decided to have a little fun with the headline for this story, which detailed the proposed remedy for frequent fixes needed to the letter F on the Rockford sign in Davis Park.
Davis Park was in the news several times this year. That’s in part because it no longer looks anything like the photo above. Not only is the sign fixed, but the 106-year-old Lorden building behind it has been torn down.
October
Introducing Colman Yards: A first look at the future of Rockford’s Barber-Colman complex
Developers in mid-October unveiled the first images of their proposed overhaul to the Barber-Colman complex in southwest Rockford.
Colman Yards also has the potential to be a big storyline in 2023. In November, the city extended its deadline to reach a redevelopment deal with J. Jeffers & Co. until March 1.
November
Lino’s expands into Loves Park with unique curbside restaurant
Lino’s Restaurant opened a new curbside location at 8410 E. Riverside Blvd. in Loves Park in late November.
The carryout-only restaurant was built inside a 53-foot long shipping container that is equipped with the same Fauld’s oven used at the main restaurant on East State Street in Rockford.
December
Beautiful heart, tortured mind: How a Rockford-area man’s legacy of giving continues after his death
Michael White started an endowment fund this year to honor the legacy of generosity of his son, Connor White.
Connor died on May 27 from an overdose of fentanyl. He was 24.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.
