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
Pro-Palestinian protesters hold final march on Chicago Democratic National Convention
Thousands of protesters gathered once again at Union Park Thursday, before taking to the streets on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The demonstration ended peacefully.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march on DNC near United Center, rally in Union Park
Thousands marched on the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night. The group planned to travel to Park 578 near the United Center, but they were turned away by Chicago police and funneled back to Union Park.
Several arrested as pro-Palestinian, anti-DNC protesters confront CPD near Israeli Consulate: VIDEO
A crowd of about 200 protesters attempted to break through a police bike line and clashed with officers.
Protesters breach fence line near United Center on 1st day of DNC; at least 4 arrested
Protesters breached a fence line outside the United Center Monday evening, on the first day of the Democratic National Convention.
Machine in Chicago mimics cow's stomach to divert thousands of tons of food waste from landfills
What's an anaerobic digester? Chicago has one that mimics the inside of a cow's stomach and is helping divert thousands of tons of food waste form landfills.
Hundreds attend Taeyoung Kim arraignment for crash that killed Glenbrook South senior Marko Niketic
Hundreds gathered Thursday at the arraignment for Taeyoung Kim, who is charged in the death of Glenbrook South High School student Marko Niketic.
Heartland Animal Shelter in Wheeling floods from water main break; dozens of pets in need of fosters
More than 100 pets in Wheeling are in need of supplies, adoptions and foster homes after a massive flood at Heartland Animal Shelter.
Ricky Byrdsong's widow Sherialyn says 25th annual Race Against Hate matters now more than ever
This Father's Day weekend is the annual Race Against Hate, now commemorating 25 years since Northwestern basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong was gunned down by a white supremacist outside of his Skokie home.
Aurora recycling plant repurposes waste items once thought to be unrecyclable
Recycling the nearly unrecyclable is not a futuristic idea. That's thanks to innovation happening right now in the western suburbs that could help Chicagoland reduce waste.
Auto body shop roof collapses in Portage Park, Chicago Fire Department says
A worker who survived the roof collapse said a customer pulled him from his seat as a cloud of smoke and dust rumbled forth. He then still had the wherewithal to pull two cars out of the shop before the roof caved in.