Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, March 30,2006

Closing the book

A happy ending, sort of, to the great Springfield library caper of 2005

Last Monday morning, Lori Burger joined hordes of petty criminals, plus their kith and kin, in room 7D of the Sangamon County Courthouse. Crowded into pews and forced to sit

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, March 23,2006

A lineman for the city

He’s just one of the hundreds of working stiffs, patching Springfield back together

By Dusty Rhodes

The call came while Mike Hickey was still huddled in the basement with his wife and their three kids. A journeyman communications technician for City Water, Light &

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, March 9,2006

Foul play

Southeast High rejects better-qualified African-American applicant for coaching position

By Dusty Rhodes

When I called Elbert Kern last week, the first words out of his mouth were simply “I’m done.” Kern’s tone reinforced that sentiment: His voice

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, February 23,2006

A taste of his own medicine

One-Eyed Jack finds out what it’s like to be the victim of misinformation

By Dusty Rhodes

I got an e-mail recently from an unlikely source. A roiling tale of police shenanigans ranging from political incorrectness to official misconduct, it might’ve been the

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, February 2,2006

The verdict

Jurors hoped to stick it to former SPD brass, not just the city. No such luck.

By Dusty Rhodes

You’ve heard this story a million times: Jury sits through a trial, listens in earnest, deliberates in good faith, delivers a verdict. Then sometime later — usual

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, January 19,2006

The wedding crasher

Looks as if somebody showed up at the wrong reception

By Dusty Rhodes

It was, by all accounts, a lovely wedding. Some 300 guests gathered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to observe the nuptials of the happy couple — the

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, January 5,2006

Keeping a resolution

Civilian-review board plan moves forward, and that’s a good thing

By Dusty Rhodes

My friend Becky always made the same New Year’s resolution: to have a hot date on New Year’s Eve. That way, she had 12 months to work toward her goal, and it

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, November 23,2005

Work in progress

With parenting, the most important tests are the pop quizzes

By Dusty Rhodes

This time last year, I devoted a column to my son Evan. Actually, I spent the first four paragraphs hemming and hawing, apologizing in advance for delivering mush when you ha

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, November 10,2005

Her huge heart

Judy Dyer saw the good in other people and created bonds that will survive her

By Dusty Rhodes

There’s a specific string of words people use to describe Judy Dyer. They don’t just say she was smart; they use the word “wise.” They don’t jus

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, October 27,2005

The good, the bad and the expensive

You won’t believe how much you paid to defend a couple of ISP officers

By Dusty Rhodes

There are many good cops working for Illinois State Police. Keep repeating that phrase to yourself as you read on; otherwise, you might think ISP is awash in scofflaws. There