Mark Rivera
Upon his arrival to the station, 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.
The first major live story Rivera covered for ABC 7 Eyewitness News was the funeral and procession of slain police commander, Paul Bauer in 2018. He anchored ABC 7's on-air coverage for more than three hours as Commander 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 5-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 city. They enjoy running and exploring all of the diners, coffee shops, and taco spots Chicago has to offer.
Mark's Stories
New initiative could use terror laws against college students who protest war in Gaza
Legal experts told the ABC7 I-Team the Trump administration's new Justice Department Joint Task Force will allow the FBI to weaponize the free speech of college students who have spoken out against the war in Gaza.
Groups asking judge to force ICE to regularly release details on immigration arrests in Chicago
A lawsuit filed this week is asking a federal judge to order U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release specific reports and data on all immigration arrests made since Trump took office.
Former Trump Tower Chicago board member alleges racketeering scheme, retaliation in new lawsuit
A former Trump Tower Chicago board member has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization after he said he found financial irregularities, and he spoke with the ABC7 I-Team in his first on-camera interview.
Drone attack warning: Illinois terrorism experts issue risk assessment for potential drone attacks
While there are no known threats to Illinois, the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center's assessment is going statewide after a series of recent drone incidents across the county, the ABC7 I-Team has learned.
EPA could roll back decades of regulations as state, environmental groups fear loss of funding
There could be monumental changes coming to the federal agency tasked with protecting the nation's environment. The ABC7 I-Team has been tracking the potential changes from the "biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history."
ICE touts immigration arrests, others warn of Congress approving $10B 'blank check' for enforcement
The Department of Homeland Security touted major progress Tuesday in its efforts to deport migrants living in the U.S. without legal permission across the country, but migrant advocates are voicing their skepticism of the numbers.
Opioid-related overdose deaths declining; former head of Chicago Public Health explains CDC data
The ABC7 I-Team spoke exclusively with the former commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, Dr. Allison Arwady, who is now with the CDC and touting the substantial strides made over the past year in the opioid epidemic.
Chicago FBI terrorism task force new objective: Immigration enforcement
The FBI Chicago's Joint Terrorism Task Force, or JTTF, and terrorism task forces nationwide, have been branded the "nation's front line defense against terrorism," both from international and domestic threats.
Chicago Mayor Johnson defends spending on migrant crisis during Capitol Hill hearings
Since September 2022, the city of Chicago has paid out $638.7 million in vendor contracts for new-arrival migrants, according to data obtained by the ABC7 I-Team.
Customs and Border Protection seizing illegal weapon parts trafficked into US through China
Dangerous illegal weapon parts trafficked into the United States through China are being seized at Chicago's O'Hare international postal processing center by specialized federal officers.