Local News Day: After 25 years covering local news, Marianne Mueller still reporting across the Stateline

Marianne Mueller has been writing about this community for years, and she knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer.

“My interest in becoming a writer began when I was 11 years old,” she said. “I always loved and aced English and writing courses in school.”

It did not take long for her to recognize where that ability came from.

“I soon discovered that I had inherited our mother’s talent with writing,” Mueller said. “I have always loved to tell stories, and I knew at that age I was going to be a news reporter someday.”

In honor of the inaugural Local News Day on April 9, Rockton-Roscoe News reached out to some of our reporters to take readers behind their bylines, including Mueller, to reflect on their work and what local news means to them.

Mueller’s path into local news began while she was serving as president of the Rockton Chamber of Commerce, where she wrote and produced a full newsletter. That work led to an opportunity with the Herald newspaper.

“At that time Randy Johnson was the manager of the Herald Newspaper, and he offered me the chance to write a weekly column in the paper,” she said. “Together we came up with the name Rockton Ramblings.”

The column quickly gained popularity and ran for thousands of weeks. From there, she expanded into feature writing, including her first story covering the opening day of the Roscoe-Rockton Junior Indians football program.

She later joined Rockton-Roscoe News shortly after it launched and has since reported for both news outlets across the Stateline, covering communities including Rockton, Roscoe, South Beloit, Shirland, Harrison, Loves Park, Machesney Park, and Rockford.

Her work has also earned award-winning recognition. Mueller received third place for Best Government/Public Affairs Reporting from the Northern Illinois News Association for her coverage of the Red Barn Golf Course. She has played a large role in Rockton-Roscoe News earning recognition across multiple awards over the years.

Along the way, she said several people helped shape her career.

“My Mom and Shirley White both were mentors in my overall career,” Mueller said.

She also credits fellow reporters Jean Seegers and Margaret Downing.

“Both of these ladies are consummate professionals and are wonderful people who I am blessed to call friends.”

Mueller was born on March 18, 1968, in Belvidere and grew up with two brothers and two sisters. After living in Rockford, her family moved to Roscoe.

Today, she lives in Machesney Park with her boyfriend and two cats. She remains active in the community as president of the Hononegah Woman’s Club and as a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, and the Rockton Township Historical Society. She is a strong supporter of Macktown Living History.

Aside from reporting, Mueller has spent 20 years working as a caregiver, which she calls a true blessing. She worked at The China Palace at age 19, before starting her own housecleaning business 37 years ago, which is still running today. In the late 80s, she also worked at the Gem Shop & Diamond Source for nearly 18 years.

She said that the heart of her work has always been the people she meets.

“What I enjoy most about covering local communities has been meeting the people I have featured,” she said. “There are so many awesome families and individuals everywhere. I have been lucky to build strong friendships over time.”

Many of those stories have stayed with her long after they were written.

“The stories that have stayed with me the most and made the greatest impact include a young boy who passed away after being struck by a car, Bobby. What his mother did to keep his name alive and to try to get justice for him was truly inspirational. She never gave up.”

“Back when I worked at the Gem Shop, I was approached by someone whose niece needed a kidney. The piece I wrote about reporting the need for a donor resulted in finding one, and I was later shown gratitude for it.”

“Anytime I am featuring someone who is doing anything special, it gives me a gift to give back to the community.”

That sense of connection is part of what has kept her in the work for so long.

“Local news has always been part of my own being and fabric,” Mueller said. “These are the things that affect all of us locally. We all have a right to know what is going on.”

She said that responsibility to the public should always come first.

“We are not only in this business to do what we love, but we do what we do for the public,” she said. “They are the first priority in everything.”

At the same time, she is candid about the realities of the profession.

“Anyone who is looking to get into news reporting should know this can be a very tough business, especially with the internet,” Mueller said. “Eventually, you become similar to a duck where the water flows off of your back.”

She also stressed the importance of accountability.

“It is of the utmost importance that if you make a mistake that you own up to it,” she said. “I have made enough mistakes over time to know this.”

Mueller said she continues to hold herself to a high standard, even while recognizing that perfection is not always possible.

“This is one area of my life that I strive for perfection,” she said. “But I am always and often reminded that I am human and sometimes far from perfect. Sometimes I completely miss the mark because I failed to follow my gut instincts and to ask every question I should have.”

Even after decades in the field, she said the work still matters deeply to her.

“I have remained interested in reporting because it is one of my first loves,” Mueller said. “I have been told by people whom I respect greatly that I should keep going because they feel I am really good at what I do.”

“That encouragement means more than any words I can come up with,” she said.

“I feel really validated when I finish writing a story, especially when I feel that I nailed one.”

And in her own words, she sees it this way:

“One could say that writing the news is my version of the Olympics. I know that I would stink at all that goes into what it takes to be an athlete.”

Marianne Mueller has written hundreds of articles for Rockton-Roscoe News, where her longtime Rockton Ramblings column still lives on today.

Local News Day is observed on April 9 and was created as a national day of action to encourage people to support and engage with their local news outlets.