Good Morning Aurora

Catching the image and being featured in a great book, all in a day’s work with Mr. Perry Slade. As a friend of the show this is our 2nd time crossing paths with Mr. Slade. He is a great man to learn from and know and he is a top-notch photographer. Here in Aurora we have much talent and Mr. Slade is a part of the Chicago Alliance of African American Photographers. His black and white photogra[hy...

The life of a media relations specialist was the focus of discussion today. We were honored to sit down with Desiree Battaglia of Northwestern Medicine this morning and learn from her. This was Desiree’s second time on the show, her first was way back! So you could also call it a flashback Friday! From prepping doctors and nurses for interviews to capturing the stories of patients, Desiree is cert...

We learned about public service, the city of Elgin and a commitment to constituents today. We had the great opportunity to speak with Anthony Ortiz, candidate for Elgin City Council today. As we talked we got to learn about Anthony’s background and what his vision is for his city. As a Marine Corps veteran, he has served his country and now he continues his service. Transparency & increased se...

The difference between a fire truck and a fire engine, and more! Mr. Brian Failing has a wealth of knowledge and it was great speaking with him and learning about all  he does. This is a location that has been a great feature of our downtown. From family fun and learning to special events the fire museum delivers. Intertwined with the rich history of Aurora, the stories and associated histori...

News, news and more news. Halloween upcoming fun, mitigation efforts and drive-thru diabetes services. That's just a little bit of the items discussed on the news this morning, our guest called in sick on us today! We hope they get better, we took a new approach and had an MSNBC moment so that was cool! There are a lot of activities taking place in the city and we will surely keep you updated. Sta...

Alternative folk is the genre and Mirabelle Skipworth is the artist! Today’s episode of music Friday was very cool and a lot of fun. Mirabelle is a great person with a lot of soul and today we got to learn more about her. Although an Oswego resident, she can be frequently seen on the downtown Aurora music scene. She’s constantly out and about at shows and other locations. One can find her always s...

Knowledge was delivered on today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Deborah Rudel, Fox Valley United Way CEO. Continuing our ‘Women In Business’ series we learned all about what FVUW does and its commitment to the community. As individuals, our lives are also intertwined with our neighbors; prosperity is to be shared. For many families that struggle to make ends meet the FVUW does a l...

Today was a motivational episode of our ‘Women In Business’ series. We had the wonderful Marianne Renner on the show today and we were amazed by this woman. She’s a strong, helpful and commanding presence in our city and we’re huge fans of her work. As an Aurora native, Marianne has witnessed and been part of many positive changes here in the city. With a background in news and reporting, we were...

Are you familiar with the RAIZ program here in Aurora? Neither were we but we learned a lot today. From a book club to everyday assistance, our friends Sandra & Giselle Gonzalez are always at the forefront of change. We’ve had a number of good discussions with these two ladies and we applaud their continued efforts for our city. These ladies are both candidates for Trustee for the WCC board. I...

Kicking Monday off we had a friend of the show & dedicated public servant, State Representative Barbara Hernandez on the show! Our Candidate Corner section has become a great forum for speaking with our elected officials and those seeking office. Barabar is a lifelong Aurora resident and has been a fixture in our community for a long time. Representing the 83rd district, women’s rights, safety...

Music Friday went a new direction; we had an awesome rapper named Studio B in the studio free styling! The song was 'Sugar Skull City' in honor of the cool initiative taking place downtown. It was really cool and wow, what wordplay! So many cool surprises take place on a Friday, it's become a super fun way to enter the weekend. Our guest today was local Marine corps veteran Ale Hernandez. This was...

Dignity, respect, hard work & perseverance; that's what Gil Rios's life has been all about. Today's interview was awesome and very informative for us. From Texas to Aurora, Gil has made quite a transition and has contributed a lot to this city. As a member of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce he has been in the middle of great things. He also brings history to our discussion and...

Yesterday we had a great conversation with the one & only Radioman 911! Quick on his feet and the person to go to for the scoop, Mr. Dave Weaver is an asset to our community and a man with an inspiring history. Mr. Weaver is the son of a police officer who grew up with his ear to the news and his mind on helping others. No matter if it’s photography, covering civil unrest or “getting what the...

Yesterday we sat down with noted author Robert Renteria for a great conversation. His book 'From The Barrio To The Boardroom' is well-known & has become widely respected. Growing up in the barrio of East LA, Mr. Renteria's journey has been a long and storied one. He is a US Army veteran, successful businessman and the founder of the Barrio Foundation. His focus has been on the positive and upward...

We did things special today for Monday, we had fellow community partner Chicano back on the show for part 2! When last we spoke he had many things going on and today was no different. This brother has been up to a lot since last we spoke. From advocating for Aurora businesses to sitting down for a few cups of coffee in the morning, the man doesn’t stop! Most recently, Chicano was at Taco Movil doi...

It was another great music day today on the show and we were joined by Matthew Ripsch! Only a Freshman in high school, Matthew has an old soul combined with great music taste. Recently he played at Wyckwood House on First Friday and that's how we became familiar with him. Hailing from Yorkville, he's played at Law Office and many other venues. It was very fascinating to watch Matthew play, sing an...

And just like that, another great episode with a friend of the show, Jamie Mosser (candidate for Kane County State's Attorney)! When last we spoke with Jamie she was meeting with constituents and interested Kane County residents on a daily basis. Well, that hasn't quit! She's been very busy but she also has been the spearhead behind the Citizens Review Board. The purpose of the board is to address...

Not even a routine fire alarm check could stop today's momentum! The importance of health, the emphasis on well-being and favorite coffee locations; today was a lot of fun! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month we sat down with Susan Romano and Amy Downing of Healing 2 Healthy, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit. These ladies are immersed in all things Aurora and they also spend their time guiding an...

On this episode of Good Morning Aurora our friend, community partner and dedicated leader Brenda Rodgers returns! Candidate Corner keeps rolling on and when last we spoke with Brenda we learned a lot about her and who she is. Today, we checked in to see whet the candidate trail has been like and what she's been up to. Things are really moving forward as November 3rd approaches. And not only that,...

Our friend returns as candidate for WCC Trustee! This is our 4th interview with Sandra Gonzalez, a dedicated friend of the show. She's smart, hard-working and we're glad she's making positive changes in Aurora. We got to know about her and also to update ourselves on many issues. As Trustee, she is focused on advocating for the equitable and fair college experience for everyone. Sandra has a backg...

We rocked out this morning ya'll, it was a whole lot of fun! Today we had Chocolate In Your Pocket as our musical guests, straight out of Decatur, Illinois. They played guitar and sang and we chopped it up HEAVY! 13 bars! Shout out to Big Mood! Now not only did we cover their respective histories as musicians, we dug into their thoughts, goals and feelings as a unit. From being former classmates t...

How many of you are familiar with what the Kane County Board does? Better yet, are you aware of the size of Kane County and how many cities are in it? Neither were we for many of those questions! That's why today was fun and informative; it was awesome to meet and talk to Tracy Miller! She's running for Kane County Board (district 4) and we chopped it up a whole lot in an hour. From her beginnings...

It was a learning experience in the studio today. Noah Way came by and spoke with us about life, making film and telling the story for others. When we began the interview it was clear that we had much to discuss! From travel to organizing talent, this is a young man who has achieved a lot. Noah's first film "Rinks" was where we began the interview and he also spoke with us about his second project...

Mandolin music early in the morning; just like that: special edition Tuesday. Our conversation with Molly Compton today was great! Today we talked about the music business, doing what you like & having great mentors. Molly is an accomplished musician who plays both ukulele and mandolin. As a Chicago resident we appreciated her time and sitting down with us. It was especially cool to talk about...

Lyrics, learning how to play guitar and a show tonight in SHOREwood. Shorewood, not Streamwood! Music Friday returned today with Alika & Dakota of the Alika Arlynn Band. So we also learned that even musicians still get nervous from time to time. It's all about chasing your dreams no matter what however. The band played two songs today so we were happy to experience the live music in our studio...