Mark Rivera
Upon his arrival to the station, former News Vice President Jennifer Graves described Mark as a "skilled anchor and a versatile reporter adept at covering everything from big breaking news stories, to politics and feature stories." Rivera grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
Rivera also reports with the ABC7 Chicago I-Team.
The first major live story Rivera covered for ABC 7 Eyewitness News was the funeral and procession of slain police Cmdr. Paul Bauer in 2018. He anchored ABC 7's on-air coverage for more than three hours as Bauer was honored by the city and its residents.
Rivera comes to ABC 7 from WTSP-TV in Tampa, Florida, where he served as the station's weekend morning news anchor and political reporter. While on the anchor desk there, he provided six hours of compelling non-stop coverage of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in nearby Orlando. As the station's political reporter, he covered Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaign rallies, questioned Vice President Mike Pence about Russian influence and co-moderated a heated congressional debate. In addition to the political beat, Rivera has reported on a wide range of stories from the hurricanes that devastated Florida to a family whose son is a five-organ transplant survivor.
Prior to WTSP, Rivera worked at WAND-TV in Decatur, Illinois where he anchored a two-hour daily newscast, reported breaking news and wrote, edited and reported a weekly feature piece focused on the local community. While at WAND, Rivera won a regional Associated Press Award.
Rivera is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
He, his wife Alissa, and their dog Xena live in the Chicago area. They enjoy running and exploring all of the diners, coffee shops and taco spots Chicago has to offer.
Mark's Stories
Cyberattacks on US businesses linked to Iran, despite ongoing ceasefire
ABC News has learned of multiple cyberattacks linked to Iran on US businesses in just the past week, despite the ongoing ceasefire President Donald Trump extended as he claims Iran may have a counteroffer to a peace deal.
Scathing audit performed on shuttered Oak Park hospital thousands relied on
Hospital "leadership is unstable and overstretched," auditors found a month prior to hospital's closure, according to a report obtained by the ABC7 I-Team.
Lawsuit accuses shuttered hospital CEO of 'financial mismanagement,' 'misappropriating' state funds
A co-owner of operations for the closed Oak Park hospital West Suburban Medical Center has now filed a counter-lawsuit against his business partner.
Deborah Witzburg sits down for candid interview before her last day as Chicago's inspector general
Witzburg admitted that it has not been easy but stressed that the work for transparency and accountability in government is more important than ever.
New video shows moment Chicago police say Officer Krystal Rivera was fatally shot by her partner
The ABC7 I-Team has been pouring over the video showing the moments surrounding the deadly shooting of Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera, who officials say was shot by her CPD partner last summer.
Insight Hospital stepping in to fill gap for West Suburban patients, seeing patients in River Forest
The ABC7 I-Team has learned another safety net hospital system, is working to fill the gap for patients left high and dry after West Suburban abruptly closed nearly three weeks ago.
Oak Park safety net hospital West Suburban resumes some services, met by skepticism, safety concerns
The ABC7 I-Team was told that some clinics have reopened at the West Suburban Medical Center safety net hospital, but that claim is being met by skepticism from former employees and some Illinois lawmakers.
Illinois departments probing West Suburban hospital's finances after abrupt closure, state rep. says
The I-Team has learned the current CEO of West Suburban Medical Center was served an eviction notice last week from the property's owner, citing millions of dollars in debt owed.
New task force aggressively prosecuting CTA crimes with hopes to prevent future ones: O'Neill Burke
Cook County's top prosecutor is sending a strong message: Commit a violent crime on public transportation and you'll likely be detained.
Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke looks back at her first 15 months in office
O'Neill Burke says she's intently focused on acting within the bounds of the law and above all, working to keep those who commit violent crimes off the streets.