Good Morning Aurora

Momentum and perseverance, that’s how we get there. Along with financial literacy, our conversation with Mr. Michael Rayford took many paths. We had a great time today and learned a lot about the communication industry. Michael’s background included working for Oprah & PBS and he shared his experiences with us. In addition to professional moments and advice, he is a financial literacy entrepreneur/advocate for WSB (World System Builder). For many years Michael has been helping others achieve financial stability and growth. We appreciate Michael coming on to the show, this was a great episode. 2021 is starting off right!

Shouts out to Crystal House, Vizo Arts, the Aurora Public Art Commission, all healthcare professionals, teachers & educators. Shout out to Meaningful Letters, CottonSeed Creative Exchange, McCarty Mills and all Aurora artists. Thank you to our fans, listeners, subscribers and stay tuned. There’s much more to come as you know! Peace from the 2nd largest city’s 1st daily news podcast!

Today we took a dive into the learning situation from a youthful perspective. On the show we had young Luke Lockwood who is a student of the Oswego School District 308. In our conversation we spoke about what the transition has been like and adapting to it. Luke has an interest in American presidents throughout history so we also spoke about American government. The promise of vaccines and the potential to return to school in the future have been serious topics for discussion. We look forward to this year bringing us much more. And the youth are eager to learn!

Shout out to AA Electric, Tredwell and the Beacon News. Happy New Year everyone! We’re glad to share this year with you all. Thank you to all of our listeners and subscribers. All of ours fans as well, we love you all! We’ve got a lot more coming this year. Also, shouts out to all Aurora small businesses too. Have a great and safe day, its January! Let’s make 221 ours!

Family entertainment and business were the topics of the day. Owner of Chaser’s and Rockerball, Corie Caruso joined us in the studio for an interview. As we know, our small to medium family owned businesses have been hit hard during the pandemic. Goods and services, restaurants and entertainment venues have taken the brunt of the impact. Originally from Chicago, Corie has made her community, family and business roots in Aurora. She brought insight, safety and experience about events and business to our conversation. We wish corie and all small businesses a prosperous and better 2021!

Happy New Year to everyone in the city and we look forward to a blessed year. Shouts out to all Aurora residents and to the Aurora Public Library. As mentioned in today's news, they have a lot of upcoming activities for this month and next (February). Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We've got lots more coming as well! Aurora Township and mayoral elections are in April so stay updated on the candidates. Shop and support locals this year by becoming more familiar with our downtown shops. Have a great weekend and we'll see you all Monday! Happy New Year!

Have you ever driven around Downtown Aurora and thought to yourself: “wow, I wonder what that old building used to be!”? We have as well, and today we spoke with Mr. Tom Cook, CEO of Valley Electrical. A New York native who's since made Aurora his home, we learned about his life, business and choice aspects of his profession. From an apprentice to owning his own business, Tom shared with us his story and spoke highly of the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). Safety first, professionalism and teamwork; all in a day's work for an electrician. Tom also told us a really cool story about the Terminal Building (Galena & Broadway) from his time walking through it many years ago. Now, its under construction and part of Aurora's rebirth. A motivated Thursday indeed!

Shout outs to friend of the show Nathan Martin, due to have a baby boy soon! Shouts also go out to dear friend Chad from Tredwwell, and the Arroyo & Stewart families. This has been a tough year but we will all get through this. We’re going into a brand new year and we’re glad to be on the journey with each of you. Thank you for being fans, listeners & subscribers, we have much more in store for you. Don’t forget to subscribe to the show on YouTube and Spotify! Be safe tonight and we’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early for 2021! Just like that! Click the link below to listen to the episode. Peace!

Learning and being knowledgeable of the struggles of others; that’s what we experienced this morning. Today we were joined by Norma Peterson, CEO of Document The Abuse. Norma brought to us insight, candor and strength as we talked about domestic violence and breaking free. For many, it may seem like a struggle to shield oneself from pain and anxiety. In troubled relationships, what are the keys to liberating oneself? How can one find resources? All of these things are able to be acquired and people like Norma are here to help you. Norma is the sister in law of Stacy Peterson, a Bolingbrook resident, missing since 2007. Our continued condolences go to her family, friends and loved ones. Norma is an asset to our community and we look forward to her work expanding.

Shout out to Windy City Game Theater, we did it! “Reverse! Okay, now forward!” Shouts also go out to Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser, Sheriff of Kane County Ron Hain and newly retired Deputy Mayor Chuck Nelson. Thank you to our friends on the Aurora Public Art Commission, Chicano Times, Tecalitlan and the lady who saw me drop my debit card this morning and made sure I got it back. Good booking out! See that? All the positivity in the world, we just gotta stimulate it. It’s almost 2021. Be blessed, safe and helpful. Peace!

Acting, discussing the movie Shawshank Redemption and coffee, great day! Today we were joined on the show by Mr. Aaron Hawkins (filmmaker, actor). Aaron explained acting styles and shared his life experiences. As a United States Navy & Army veteran he brings determination and intensity to his roles. His recent roles in Secret Lover and Evil Lurks are what we discussed mostly. But also, we talked about America, being a patriot and our current climate. Aaron has a lot of great things coming up in 2021. What he’s done has been great and what he’s got coming will be even better! Stay tuned for a true Aurora creative.

Shouts go out to Third Degree Designs, Cotton Seed Creative Exchange and Family Dollar on Lake Street. Here comes 2021, and we’re ready for it. We’re proud to be able to share stories. We’re honored to listen and highlight the best of our city. Be sure to check out what the city has in store, register your business by this Thursday and have a safe upcoming New Years Eve. Subscribe to the show on Spotify and YouTube and turn on your notifications. More Aurora coming at you day by day; peace!

It pretty much happened kind of overnight, it then became a standard. After a standard it became “a must”; after that it's since become the staple. Today we took some time to debut the first installment of a new series called “The Positive Note: Aurora Daily Affirmations”. As you know, ending the show on a positive note is what we do each day. It means a lot to us to give others a voice. To allow them to speak, to lead and to dictate. The 2nd largest city has a unique voice. It has a unique sound and character as well. From the far westside to downtown, Pigeon Hill to Stonebridge, we’re proud to highlight that voice & character. Some really great interviews are showcased in this compilation! Subscribe to our Youtube channel to see full episodes & features.

Shouts go out to Cotton Seed Creative Exchange, Aurora Tap House, Talented Tenth Social Services & Vizo Arts. How was your Christmas? Did Santa get you all you wanted? If not, subscribe to the show on Spotify and we’ll put Santa on blast for you! Lol! 2021 is next and we’re all ready. And the “we’re” refers to all of us, including you! We’re strong, we’re motivated and we’re fearless in pursuit  of our goals. Keep the positive vibes going and stay tuned to the 2nd largest city’s 1st daily news podcast. We’ve got much more in store! Peace!

It’s all about the tea & coffee, you must have both! Today’s episode was a great discussion with Mr. Micheal Morkert, owner of Java Plus coffee shop. Mike has deep Aurora roots, starting off as a teacher and ending as a business owner. Recently, Java Plus hosted a coats donation drive for our friends of the CAAN Network (Community Advocacy Awareness Network). This is one of many great things that the store does in addition to tasty coffee. We spoke about being a business owner in the city, the effects of the pandemic and future plans. Java Plus is really a great community coffee shop with a great team and staff. Stay tuned for more community initiatives. We wish Java Plus a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as well.

Merry Christmas to the entire City of Aurora! Big thanks to our friends of The Prodigal Network, Cotton Seed, A Call To Shoulders, CVN (Cycle VisionNetwork) & Aurora Business United. Enjoy your holidays and time with family and be safe. We’ve got another great show for you when we come back Monday. In addition to that, subscribe to our YouTube page and check out our website. On the page we have our early episodes back before the videos! Listen to any of the episodes to check out ow the show started. Very cool! Be blessed and have a Merry Christmas. Be blessed and happy. Peace!

"It began on the northside streets of Chicago's Wrigleyville." 

Highly motivated as we start our day; motivated and thankful. On the show this morning we were honored to have Mr. Eddie Torres (Musician & Award Winning Composer) in the studio. From the northside of Chicago to some of the most storied counties, Eddies’ journey was awesome to hear. Currently, Eddie has a film in post-production and we spoke about the process and the early years. Latin jazz, being unique and never giving up; all this and coffee. Bright and early. We appreciate Eddie for taking time to share and build with us. We wish him the very best in all his endeavors, and a Merry Christmas.

A very Merry Christmas and shouts go out to all of you as well. We appreciate all of our listeners, fans and new subscribers. Check out the early episodes of your favorite morning news show and check out the catalog here: https://www.goodmorningaurorail.com/blog/categories/episodes . All the news you love, all the time. Big shouts go out to Java Plus, Gillerson’s, Aurora Rapid Response and Aurora Tap House. Register your business by the 31st; and are you familiar with what Aurora Township does? Elections April 6th, stay woke! Be blessed, be strong, stay positive and have a very Merry Christmas!

Another page in the book of Aurora history was touched upon this morning. We read it, embraced it and we share it with you. On today’s episode we spoke with Mr. Fred Rodgers, the namesake of the Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy. Mr. Rodgers has become synonymous with the City of Aurora and rightly so. As a man of action, charity and hard work he shared with us his story and early Aurora memories. Fred is a native of Alabama and in this interview we spoke about his earliest moments in Illinois & Aurora. The interview was conducted via phone as Mr. Rodgers has current health issues. Fred is not only Aurora history, he’s African-American history as well. We’re very honored & happy to learn from this man. We only touched on so much in this conversation. There’s more to learn, more to hear and more to talk about with Mr. Fred Rodgers.

Shouts out to Aurora Business United, Basil’s Dining and Ballydoyle. Also, let’s not forget our newest subscribers on our YouTube channel: Jamie, Abigail & ‘psychotwiztedhatchet’! Something new is on the horizon and YouTube will be the debut. La Quinta, Balderas & Gillerson’s get the shouts too. Stay safe today and the rest of the holiday season. Can you believe it’s almost the end of 2020!? A new year is right around the corner and you’ll see us even more. Don’t forget to register your business with the City of Aurora, specifically, the General Business Registration Ordinance. And one more thing; the Aurora CRB (civilian review board), did you sign up? And Aurora Township elections; do you know what Aurora Township does? Do you live in Township? The primaries are in February with the elections in April of next year. Stay tuned. Be blessed, strong and nice to others on this day. Peace!