Top stories from every month of 2024 at RockRiverCurrent.com
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Nearly every month of the past year, restaurant news was top of mind for readers of the Rock River Current.
Stories about new places to eat or longtime favorites closing were among the most read each month.
Some eagerly awaited restaurants wound up on our list twice: Once when we announced plans for space and again when we published the news of the restaurant opening.
More news: Capri in downtown Rockford for sale as owners look to comply with city’s vacant property rules
Today, as a way of looking back on 2024, we’re sharing the two most-read stories from each of the past 12 months.
You’ll see a short synopsis of the most-read story each month, with links back to the full article, and a link and headline to the second most-read story that month.
Here are 24 of the most-read stories from 2024:
January
Stone Eagle Tavern in Rockford to close after 15 years in business
In early January, Stone Eagle Tavern owner Jimmy Vitale told us his plans to close by Feb. 3 because the property he leased for 15 years has been sold.
The restaurant, a former Cheddar’s, has since been demolished and a new Raising Cane’s restaurant is being built to open in 2025.
Second most-read: Boot Barn to move into former JoAnn Fabrics space on East State Street in Rockford
February
Here are the first two businesses coming to the lots in front of the former Rockford Speedway
In early February, we learned that Belle Tire and Club Car Wash submitted plans to build at the corner of Illinois 173 and Forest Hills Road, making them the first two businesses to develop on the former Rockford Speedway grounds.
The main stadium of the Speedway has since been a demolished, and the Club Car Wash is starting to take shape on the corner.
Second most-read: A small community in rural Winnebago County is getting its first sit-down restaurant
March
Veteran journalist Eric Wilson no longer anchoring evening news at WTVO
Veteran broadcast journalist Eric Wilson was taken off the anchor desk in late February after his contract was not renewed by Nextstar. His absence came without announcement, leaving many viewers curious about the longtime anchor’s status.
Wilson has since found a new home with Crusader Community Health, where he works as the director of the Crusader Community Health Foundation.
Second most-read: Mother-daughter team prepare to open Crave, an ‘inventive but affordable’ new Rockford restaurant
April
Benny’s to open 2nd and 3rd locations at Machesney Park Mall and former Johnny Pamcakes
The team behind Benny’s Slots Wines Spirits in Roscoe opened two new locations this year.
The first was Benny’s @ Nest, next to Nestory Park Self Storage at 8790 N. Second St. at Machesney Town Center, the name for the former mall property. The second was at the former Johnny Pamcakes, 125 Harrison Ave., suite B in Cherry Valley.
Second most-read: Rockford’s first daiquiri bar is ready to open. Here’s what to expect
May
Developers put forward plan for former Kmart on East State Street
In late May, a plan moved forward to bring new life to the former Kmart at 5909 E. State St. with a mix of businesses on the frontage property and a self-storage facility in the box storefront.
Debate about the proposal dominated City Council discussion for weeks, as some aldermen did not want to grant the special-use permit required to allow a self-storage facility in the commercial district.
The council voted down the plan in June, and then stuck with that decision after being asked to reconsider in July.
Second most-read: Panera Bread to anchor two-tenant development coming to Riverside Boulevard in Loves Park
June
Whitney Martin to leave TV for new role with Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Longtime broadcast journalist Whitney Martin left her role as a morning anchor on WTVO 17 and FOX 39 to join the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, leading its Made for Rockford program.
The program is designed to promote Rockford as a place to live and work. It started in 2020 but had gone dormant and was reinvigorated with Martin at the helm. She had worked in broadcast journalism for 17 years, including nearly the last half-decade as a morning news anchor for the local ABC and FOX affiliates.
Second most-read: Lino’s is creating a new box market village that brings together small businesses in Loves Park
July
Rockford natives returns to lead Crave’s kitchen
Crave kitchen and cocktails owners Angela and Ava Vitale announced in July that Miguel Mora would lead their kitchen as executive chef.
The mother-and-daughter owned restaurant at 3801 Perryville Road opened in late August.
Second most-read: New owner of old Rever’s Marina in Rockford envisions lofts, offices and dockside dining
August
New owners to turn former Onyx bar into restaurant with Cimino’s Italian kitchen
Matt Brickson and Brad Steele purchased the former Onyx in July, closing the bar in August as they remodeled the space for their new restaurant The Parks: Cimino’s Kitchen, 1001 West Lane Road in Machesney Park.
The new restaurant opened in November.
Second most-read: First guests rave about Crave: New restaurant serves ‘masterpieces on plates’
September
Hard Rock and local leaders say there’s no need to fear a Beloit casino – but for different reasons
Ho-Chunk Gaming plans to open its $500 million casino along Interstate 90 on a 33-acre site near Willowbrook and Colley roads in Beloit, Wisconsin, in phases starting in summer 2026.
City leaders and Hard Rock Casino Rockford executives say they don’t see the nearby casino as a threat – but they had different reasons for that outlook.
“If you look at all the major gaming markets in the United States, the one thing that they have in common — whether that’s Atlantic City, Biloxi, Las Vegas — the thing all those major markets have in common is concentration,” Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate told the Rock River Current. “Long term I see it as a positive, absolutely.”
Second most-read: Daniel McMahon, a powerhouse in Rockford’s music scene, has died at age 41
October
Faced with rising costs and mounting legal fees, Magpie will close its downtown restaurant
Magpie, 126 N. Madison St., served its last meals and drinks at the two-level restaurant space on Sunday, Oct. 13.
The restaurant had struggled with rising costs, mounting legal fees from a yearslong court battle and changes in downtown business traffic, the owner said.
A part of the restaurant — namely its house blend coffee and anti-aging mimosas — live on at Wood & Brick Tavern, 315 S. Main St.
Second most-read: New grocery store planned for Kishwaukee Street in south Rockford
November
The Parks: Cimino’s Kitchen opens in Machesney Park after renovating former Onyx space
Making our list in two different months, this follow-up story announced the opening of The Parks: Cimino’s Kitchen after nearly three months of renovations.
Second most-read: Loves Park honors longtime owners of Backyard Grill & Bar as it changes hands
December
Rockford private school to close mid-year, won’t return for second semester
A small private Christian academy in Rockford opted to close its doors mid-year after it faced financial struggles and dwindling enrollment numbers.
Alpine Academy of Rockford, 5001 Forest View Ave., had educated students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade for 26 years.
School leaders said the end of a tax incentive scholarship program in Illinois hurt its enrollment numbers and financial bottom line.
Second most-read: Here’s what’s being built north of Casey’s on Mulford Road in Rockford
https://www.rockrivercurrent.com/2024/12/30/our-favorite-rockford-area-photos-published-by-the-rock-river-current-in-2024/
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
