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On the show
From 10 epsHost
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Recent episodes
"I lost my leg while farming."
Jun 15, 2026
16m 04s
"I literally ran myself over with a van."
Jun 1, 2026
19m 47s
BONUS: "Bodybuilding brought me back to life."
May 21, 2026
22m 16s
"We raised over half a million dollars for an inclusive playground in less than a year."
May 18, 2026
18m 10s
"The courthouse burned to the ground."
May 4, 2026
10m 16s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/15/26 |  "I lost my leg while farming." | What happens when a routine farm chore becomes a sudden battle for survival? In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we sit down with local farmer and volunteer firefighter Willy VanWassenhove to hear his extraordinary story of resilience. On September 20, 2024, while adjusting a load of hay on the side of the road, Willy was struck by a vehicle at highway speed, pinning him and crushing his legs. Drawing on his first-responder training, Willy stayed calm, called 911, and survived... | 16m 04s | ||||||
| 6/1/26 |  "I literally ran myself over with a van."✨ | military veteranaccident+3 | Jake Lee | — | Hopkins Park, Illinois | accidentmilitary veteran+3 | — | 19m 47s | |
| 5/21/26 |  BONUS: "Bodybuilding brought me back to life."✨ | bodybuildingresilience+3 | Kaelin Patterson | — | KankakeeJoliet | bodybuildingrecovery+3 | — | 22m 16s | |
| 5/18/26 |  "We raised over half a million dollars for an inclusive playground in less than a year."✨ | community supportrare medical diagnosis+3 | Hollie EricksonJesse Erickson | Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome | — | viral videoSchwartz-Jampel Syndrome+3 | — | 18m 10s | |
| 5/4/26 |  "The courthouse burned to the ground."✨ | local historyfire disaster+3 | — | — | Kankakee CountyKankakee | Kankakeecourthouse fire+5 | — | 10m 16s | |
| 4/27/26 |  BONUS: "I knew a Fitness Godfather."✨ | fitnessParkinson's disease+3 | Kaelin Patterson | Fit Body U | — | Fitness GodfatherKen Castongia+3 | — | 12m 06s | |
| 4/20/26 |  "I was held up at gunpoint by the Pizza Bandit."✨ | crimelocal history+3 | Tom Klonowski | Pizza by Marchellonis | Bourbonnais, Illinois | Pizza Banditrobbery+5 | — | 19m 35s | |
| 4/6/26 |  "I locked myself out of the radio station."✨ | broadcastingrookie mistakes+3 | — | Milner Media | Bourbonnais | broadcastingrookie mistake+3 | — | 18m 17s | |
| 3/31/26 |  BONUS: "I helped with the search and rescue in one of the most famous train wrecks in county history."✨ | train wrecksearch and rescue+4 | Kaelin Patterson | — | BourbonnaisKankakee | Bourbonnais Amtrak crashKaelin Patterson+5 | — | 13m 50s | |
| 3/10/26 |  "I raised over $100,000 for my Eagle Scout project."✨ | community serviceEagle Scout project+3 | Alexis McCullough | Gold Star Families Memorial Monument | Marcotte ParkBourbonnais | Eagle Scoutfundraising+3 | — | 20m 12s | |
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| 2/23/26 |  "I Went to Jail for Hunting."✨ | huntinglegal proceedings+3 | Lou Perakis | — | South Side of ChicagoAroma Park | huntingjail+5 | — | 10m 45s | |
| 2/9/26 |  "I was on national news to discuss the autopsy findings of Mr. George Floyd." | In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we sit down with Dr. Kalisha Hill, the Chief Medical Officer at Saint Mary’s Hospital. While many know her as a local healthcare leader, Dr. Hill stepped onto the national stage in 2020 when she appeared on CNN to provide expert medical analysis on the autopsy findings of George Floyd. We go behind the scenes of that high-stakes interview—from the "emergency makeup kit" in her Kankakee office to the clinical precision required to explain complex... | 16m 53s | ||||||
| 1/26/26 |  "A city police officer staged one of the largest armed robberies in the history of the county." | On a Saturday at noon in September 1966, Kankakee experienced a crime that felt like it was ripped from a Hollywood noir film. A gunman ambushed an armored car driver in an alleyway, abducted him, and made off with over $42,000 in cash. But as Kankakee Police Chief Thomas Maass and his team began to investigate, they realized the call was coming from inside the house. The "victim," a young officer named Ronald Balthazor, wasn't just a driver—he was an active-duty policeman living a desperate ... | 10m 42s | ||||||
| 1/12/26 |  "My band turned an Aaron Carter concert into a TMZ headline." | What really happened the night pop star Aaron Carter got into a brawl at a dive bar in Bradley, Illinois? In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, Jake LaMore sits down with local artist and musician Tommy Solis—the man right in the middle of the chaos—to set the record straight on one of the most bizarre nights in Kankakee County history. It was a night that started with 90s nostalgia at The Looney Bin and ended with police lights, ambulances, and a TMZ headline that went global. For ye... | 19m 49s | ||||||
| 12/29/25 |  "We counted down the 3 most listened to episodes of 2025." | We launched This One Time in Kankakee on the WVLI Podcast Network in October 2025, and the stories have been nothing short of wild. In this year-end recap, host Jake LaMore cracks open the vault to count down the Top 3 Most Downloaded Episodes of the year. If you are new to the show, this is the perfect place to start. We revisit the funny, the historical, and the shocking moments that defined our first season. In this episode, we cover: The Tie for Bronze: Two very different brushes with fam... | 15m 37s | ||||||
| 12/15/25 |  "I planned a flash mob on the courthouse lawn." | Jeff Cross isn’t usually a planner. But for his 30th wedding anniversary, he decided to go big. In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we hear the incredible true story of how a 1990s meet-cute at a Bourbonnais Blockbuster led to a secret flash mob in downtown Kankakee. Hear how Jeff organized 50 friends and family members, dodged suspicious bailiffs while sneaking around the Courthouse bushes, and used a "fake cake" to keep his wife from ruining her own surprise. It’s a story about lo... | 12m 23s | ||||||
| 12/1/25 |  "I covered my car completely in duct tape." | It was the winter of 2001. The muffler had just fallen off, and the rust was setting in. But Nick Stalnos wasn't ready to give up on his 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. Instead, he grabbed his friends, bought every roll of silver tape he could find, and created a local legend. In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we sit down with Nick to hear the true story behind "The Silver Bullet." From delivering pizzas on Kennedy Drive to a hilarious run-in with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse ... | 12m 06s | ||||||
| 11/17/25 |  "My son, Mads Pomranky, was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia." | What began as a routine trip to the pediatrician at Riverside Hospital quickly turned into a life-altering journey for the Pomranky family. In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, host Jake LaMore sits down with local mom Jennifer Pomranky to share the powerful story of her son, Mads. Diagnosed with a rare form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) at just five months old, Mads faced an uphill battle that required aggressive chemotherapy and a life-saving stem cell transplant. But just as a p... | 17m 13s | ||||||
| 11/3/25 |  "The Village of Bonfield Banned Rhummy." | In the dead of winter 1938, the tiny village of Bonfield, Illinois, made national news for a bizarre reason: it banned the card game Rhummy. On this episode of "This One Time in Kankakee," discover the strange and true story of the "Rhummy Rebellion." Amid the Great Depression, Bonfield was known as a "sinless village" in Kankakee County, thanks to strict Blue Laws that forbade everything from liquor to dancing to playing baseball on Sundays. But when a group of housewives, calling themselves... | 13m 03s | ||||||
| 10/31/25 | Preview: "The Village of Bonfield Banned Rhummy." Episode Out Nov. 3rd | A short preview of what's to come on the next episode of This One Time in Kankakee. Believe it or not, the card game rummy or rhummy was once banned in the Village of Bonfield. Listen to the full episode this Monday, November 3rd. Click the follow button now so you don't miss out! Send us Fan Mail | 3m 48s | ||||||
| 10/20/25 | "Jennifer Hudson came to see our musical." | What happens when an EGOT winner and Chicago legend unexpectedly shows up to your community theater rehearsal? On this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we hear the incredible true story from director Andrew McBurnie about the night Jennifer Hudson visited Bourbonnais to see Acting Out Theatre Company's production of Godspell. Andrew shares a behind-the-scenes account of how a passing joke among the cast turned into a secretive, last-minute confirmation during the most stressful week of t... | 15m 13s | ||||||
| 10/6/25 | "I kidnapped a plaster cow from Perry Farm Park." | Every town has landmarks, but what happens when a group of bored teenagers decides to relocate one? In this episode of "This One Time in Kankakee," we bring you the legendary story of a crime that wasn't the crime, and how a 500-pound plaster cow ended up in a suburban living room. In 2008, Shane Whitlock and his friends, armed with a "borrowed" shopping cart and a severe case of late-night boredom, set their sights on the iconic cow statue outside the Exploration Station Children's Museum at... | 12m 27s | ||||||
| 10/6/25 | "A bank robber called me." | What happens when the subject of your news report calls you directly? In this episode of "This One Time in Kankakee," host Jake LaMore sits down with veteran Kankakee radio news director Rob West (WVLI, WFAV, River Country) for a story that blurs the line between journalism and a real-life crisis negotiation. In 2008, after reporting on a bank robbery in Bourbonnais, IL, Rob received a shocking call on his personal cell phone. On the other end was the robber himself, who wanted to tell his si... | 14m 20s | ||||||
| 10/6/25 | "I was run over with a tractor." | Welcome to the premiere episode of This One Time in Kankakee, the podcast that uncovers the unforgettable true stories of Kankakee County. Host Jake LaMore kicks off the series with a deeply personal family legend that has been told for nearly 90 years. Travel back to a hot summer day in 1936 Manteno, Illinois. At just three years old, Jake's grandfather, Franklin Weber, was accidentally run over by his father's tractor. What follows is a miraculous story of survival, featuring an incredible ... | 9m 20s | ||||||
| 10/1/25 | This One Time in Kankakee: Stories That Shaped Our Community | Discover the heart and humor of Kankakee County in This One Time in Kankakee, a narrative storytelling podcast hosted by Jake LaMore, featuring unforgettable true stories from local voices. From a childhood memory of surviving a tractor accident, to a phone call from a bank robber, to the Perry Farm cow statue ending up in a living room—these are the moments that bring our community to life. Real people. Real memories. Real Kankakee. Listen to the trailer now and subscribe for new episodes wh... | 1m 09s | ||||||
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