From the Newsroom: Rockford Register Star Podcast

As some of the area’s top extreme sports’ organizations begin to reopen following the lengthy layoff due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chicagoland Skydiving Center’s chief instructor, and the safety and training advisor, Chris Rea joins sports reporter Jay Taft on the Register Star’s weekly sports podcast “Not Just a Game.”

Rea has more than 10,000 jumps in his life and has been with CSC since before it moved to Rochelle. But he had never lived through anything like what they’ve had to deal with the past couple of months during the pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders.

“Not Just a Game” can be found at rrstar.com/sports. Or you can get the latest episode by subscribing for free to “From the Newsroom: Rockford Register Star” wherever you listen to podcasts.

Host: Jay Taft: [email protected]; @JayTaft

Editor, producer: Multimedia journalist Scott P. Yates.

This week’s installment of the Rockford Register Star’s weekly sports podcast “Not Just a Game” helps you get to know three-year Rockford IceHogs star winger, and the team’s captain last season, Tyler Sikura.

Sikura talks about what he’s been up to during the lockdown; his thoughts on his bounce-back season, when he led the team in points with 34; how it all ended; and what’s on the horizon for the free-agent, to-be.

Rockford IceHogs’ forward Tyler Sikura talks about what it was like to lose the end of the AHL season, and what could be next for him.

“Not Just a Game” can be found at rrstar.com/sports. Or you can get the latest episode by subscribing for free to “From the Newsroom: Rockford Register Star” wherever you listen to podcasts.

Host: Jay Taft: [email protected]; @JayTaft

Producer, editor: Scott P. Yates; Twitter and Instagram @scottpyates

This week Rock Valley College’s athletic director and head softball coach Darin Monroe, who has seen the pandemic hit from two points of view, is the guest on the Rockford Register Star’s weekly sports podcast “Not Just a Game" with sports reporter Jay Taft.

Monroe has had a lot to deal with the past two months, with getting his softball team home from its Florida spring break trip safely when the pandemic hit, and then having to deal with the shortening of the NJCAA Division III women’s national championship basketball tournament, which RVC was hosting.

It’s been a whirlwind ever since, too.

"Not Just a Game” can be found at rrstar.com/sports. Or you can get the latest episode by subscribing for free to “From the Newsroom: Rockford Register Star” wherever you listen to podcasts.

This episode was produced and edited by multimedia journalist Scott P. Yates.

This week's episode of "Not Just A Game" host and Register Star sports reporter Jay Taft speaks with Laura Gibbs-Green, communications manager for Rockford Park District. Gibbs-Green tells Taft that the RPD is following and supporting guidelines and recommendations made by the Center for Disease Control, Illinois Department of Public Health, State of Illinois, along with Winnebago County Health Department, and will continue to do so until this health emergency subsides. Gibbs-Green highlights some of the ways residents may remain active using some new outreach efforts by the park district.

For more information on this story and more from the newsroom of the Rockford Register Star, go online at www.rrstar.com and subscribe to "From the Newsroom: Rockford Register Star" wherever you find your podcasts.

Host: Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star sports reporter; [email protected]

Produced and edited: Scott P. Yates, Rockford Register Star multimedia journalist; [email protected]

This week’s installment of the Rockford Register Star’s weekly sports podcast “Not Just a Game,” hosted by sports writer Jay Taft, spotlights Illinois State head football coach Brock Spack, a former Rockford football star in his own right, and James Robinson’s former head coach.

Robinson, a star running back at Lutheran and then ISU, wasn’t drafted during last week’s NFL draft, but he was quickly signed to a free-agent contract by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.

Spack gives his thoughts on that whole process, as well as what to expect from the ISU Redbirds football team. He also gives some insight on what it’s like to be the coach of a college football program during a pandemic.

For more information about this story and more sports and news from the Rockford Register Star, go online at www.rrstar.com.

Hosted by Register Star sports reporter Jay Taft.

Produced and edited by Register Star multimedia journalist Scott P. Yates.

This week’s episode spotlights three local seniors who are missing out on their spring sports season in high school.

This week, IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson and the IHSA board of directors canceled the spring sports state tournaments. But there was still a chance that some teams could compete, if the pandemic eases up in time.

Taft talks to three high school seniors who would have been taking part in a sport to find out what they’re feeling these days. He talks to Belvidere North runner Madison Diercks, Hononegah football and baseball player Payton Mather, and Stillman Valley catcher Aubrey Ashlock.

“Not Just a Game” can be found at rrstar.com/sports or get the latest episodes by subscribing for free to "From the Newsroom: Rockford Register Star" wherever you listen to podcasts.

This episode was produced and edited by multimedia journalist Scott P. Yates.

“Not Just a Game” is the new weekly sports podcast from the Rockford Register Star. Sports reporter and your host Jay Taft has more than two decades of reporting experience in the Rock River Valley.

The podcast episodes, which will average 15 minutes in length, will spotlight interviews Taft has with special guests, and will focus on the hot topics and interesting issues in the sports world in our area.

This is the first podcast of the 2020 series. Taft breaks down whether or not a spring sports season can still be saved at the high school level in 2020. The podcast features IHSA executive director Craig Anderson, who will help clear up what can be done during this coronavirus lockdown to still save spring sports at the high school level.

Find more information about this story and others from the newsroom of the Rockford Register Star online at www.rrstar.com.

Scott P. Yates provided technical support and edited this episode.

Scott Yates and Shaquil Manigault, journalists from the Rockford Register Star, talked to first time voters who are 18-years-old or will be 18 by the time of the primary election to gauge their involvement and see what issues matter most to them.

A student's lunch hour is usually the time where they can get away from the classrooms for a few moments in their day. However this day, students filled into a government teachers classroom one after another to share why they want to make their voices heard at the ballot for the first time.

Before these students make their voices heard at the polls, The Register Star wanted to talk to students first to find out what issues were of importance to them.

Voting laws have changed to allow 17-year-olds to vote on March 17 if they will be 18 by the Nov. 3 general election.

According to the most recent population data provided by the Region 1 Planning Council, in 2010, they were 8,499 17 and 18-year-olds which made up 2.9% of Winnebago County's total population.

Students were clear on what they were looking for candidates to address. We spoke to students from three different schools and issues such as gun control, the cost of college tuition and healthcare were a running theme among most of the students that we spoke to.

These are the voices of first time eligible voters in the community.

This year, you’re the boss at the ballot box. We’re listening as you share what issues are important to you and what you want candidates to know about your community.

As the Illinois primary election draws closer, college students are preparing to cast their votes. Some for the first time. As part of our series, we asked several Northern Illinois University voters at campus voter registration events about their most important issues in the election, and what questions they would ask candidates and current officeholders directly if they had the chance.

WNIJ reporter Chase Cavanaugh found out what they had to say. You’ll hear these voices of students at Northern Illinois University talking about issues important to them during the 2020 election year: Salvador Meza of Chicago, an electrical and computer engineering major; Alexandra Shuman of Lake Zurich, a psychology major; Daliha Oroczo of Elgin, a history major; Jeremy Jordan of Waukegan, a law major; Aquina Estes of Chicago Heights, an undecided major; Luke Carlson of Rockford, a law major.

“You’re the Boss: A Citizens’ Agenda for Campaign 2020” is an occasional series of stories about what issues are important to you and what you want candidates to know about your community. The project is a collaboration of the newspapers of the USA Today Network, including the Register Star, and the radio stations of Illinois Public Media. In the Rockford region, that means WNIJ-89.5 FM. The Solutions Journalism Network is providing financial support for the project.

The episode’s theme music is called “Funk Game Loop” by Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io. And is used under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 licence.

For more “From the Newsroom of the Rockford Register Star,” go online at www.rrstar.com.

More online

You’re the Boss: A Citizens’ Agenda for Campaign 2020: https://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20200222/executive-editors-view-citizens-agenda-what-do-you-want-to-hear-from-candidates

The newspapers of the USA Today Network:

The Rockford Register Star: https://www.rrstar.com/

The Journal Star: https://www.pjstar.com/

The State Journal-Register: https://www.sj-r.com/

The radio stations of Illinois Public Media: https://will.illinois.edu/

WNIJ-89.5 FM: https://www.northernpublicradio.org/

The Solutions Journalism Network: https://www.solutionsjournalism.org/

“You’re the Boss: A Citizens’ Agenda for Campaign 2020.”

This year, you’re the boss at the ballot box. This year, we’re listening as you share what issues are important to you and what you want candidates to know about your community.

We’re calling this ongoing project: “You’re the Boss: A Citizens’ Agenda for Campaign 2020.” 

The effort is a collaboration of the newspapers of the USA Today Network, including the Register Star, along with the radio stations of Illinois Public Media. In the Rockford region, that means WNIJ-89.5 FM.

The Solutions Journalism Network is providing financial support for the project.

Today, many college students are joining the electoral process as the 2020 elections approach.

WNIJ reporter Chase Cavanaugh has more on how a northern Illinois community college both registers and educates new voters.

The episode’s theme music is called “Funk Game Loop” by Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io. And is used under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 licence.

For more “From the Newsroom of the Rockford Register Star,” go online at www.rrstar.com.