Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, April 8,2009

Give me Liberty or give me my identity

Tax service trashes names and Social Security numbers

Untitled Document Normally, if somebody offered to bring me a sack of trash, I’d find a polite way to say no thanks. But when Glenn Sisco called me, his trash sounded intriguing.

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, March 25,2009

Born leader

Quinn appoints 29-year-old to direct Illinois State Police

By Dusty Rhodes

Ask Jonathon Monken how he got the job as director of Illinois State Police — at the tender age of 29, with no law enforcement experience — and he’ll start with a story ab

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, March 11,2009

Give me Liberty or give me my full refund

Taxpayers seeking quick cash may end up trading their big check for a high-interest loan

By Dusty Rhodes

Last week, my younger son lost two teeth in the same day. We all know what that means: he was in for windfall from the Tooth Fairy. At a dollar per tooth, he was due two bucks minimum. He

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, February 11,2009

Former guv inspires creativi-T

Finally, a growth industry in Illinois

By Dusty Rhodes

Hooray, it’s T-shirt weather! Oh sure, the thermometer does not entirely agree, but trust me, we’ve never had more reasons to shuck the wooly turtlenecks and show off our tees.

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, January 14,2009

Life has gotten bleeping crazy

Reporting a scandal is complicated by the fact that he cares

By Dusty Rhodes

Years ago, when I was new in town and causing trouble, Rich Miller phoned me, out of the blue, and invited me to lunch. As I recall, he gave me something like 15 minutes notice to show up

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, December 31,2008

A housing crisis and its new year’s resolution

How a “heathen with a heart” arranged a miracle

By Dusty Rhodes

This time of year, when you can offend one person by saying “Merry Christmas” and tick off the next with “Happy Holidays,” it’s nice to know you can still coun

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, December 17,2008

No, it’s not like this everywhere

When will Illinois stop making excuses for bad behavior?

By Dusty Rhodes

I should’ve known there was something sick about this state. After all, this is Illinois; it isn’t Wellinois. Ever since I moved here, two phrases have grated on my ears like

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Tuesday, November 25,2008

Smiles across the miles

In all kinds of families, connections run deep

By Dusty Rhodes

My baby Evan has always had a million dollar smile. I’m not saying that because I’m his mom; everybody with normal eyesight notices. It’s not just his perfectly aligned milk-white te

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, November 5,2008

Smiling faces of diversity at Obama’s victory rally

“I’ve never seen so many people happy to be squished together.”

By Dusty Rhodes

As I write this, I have been up all night. My feet are throbbing, my legs feel like they're made of old recycled tire rubber and my back has seized up so stiff that it hurts to str

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, October 15,2008

The Grown-ups vs. the Webmasters

How we teach kids to stop being so creative

By Dusty Rhodes

Here's one of the most embarrassing moments of my life: My parents were visiting, and after dinner, we lingered around the table to chat. My son Milo, then 3, entertained himself with a foot