Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, October 2,2008

The challenge of eating on $25 a week

Getting a taste of what life is like on food stamps

Kris Armour never realized how much she enjoyed spending her afternoon break strolling to Del's Popcorn Shop and ordering a vanilla-infused soda pop. The treat became such a habit that

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, September 4,2008

Regarding Sarah

Even admirers of Alaska governor Palin question her qualification for Veep

By Dusty Rhodes

A friend of mine recently called Barack Obama. Just dialed his cell number, then fell off his chair when the potential president actually answered. My friend freaked and clicked off without

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Monday, August 11,2008

Messages in bottles

Kids hope to float environmental theme in state-fair parade

By Dusty Rhodes

At least one float in tonight's Illinois State Fair parade is going to look like trash. I know, because I saw it Monday afternoon. Designed to suggest a state capitol building, it consists o

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, July 16,2008

First domino to fall

Governor’s cuts to drug-treatment programs will have wide-reaching effects

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Because she doesn’t want her name used, I’m going to call her Sue. For more than 10 years Sue has worked for a drug-abuse and mental-illness treatme

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, June 5,2008

Reinforcing the blue wall of silence

Why recent court decisions involving two whistleblower cops should worry everyone

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document In 2002, this paper published a picture of Alva Busch using a blow dryer to remove decals from his work vehicle. At the time the snapshot was taken, in 2001, Bu

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, May 21,2008

Summer lovin’

How Nelson Center camp transformed a troubled kid into a leader

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document The first summer that Mike Dial went to camp, he spent a lot of time sitting in the administrative office. Plagued by attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity,

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, May 7,2008

Feeding the good wolf

Teaching prisoners how to be better fathers — and better men

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document At the beginning of class, Mary Ryan goes around the room and shakes hands with her students, calling each man by name, making eye contact, offering a smile:

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, April 23,2008

The death of Superman

Bill Anderson’s journey through cancer had a healing effect on everyone around him

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Letitia Dewith-Anderson once scared me silly. She rang my phone, which she didn’t do very often, and when I answered I could tell that this call was of so

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, April 2,2008

The right to say thank you

Legislation would give adoptees access to birth certificates

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document I hardly slept a wink the night before I met my mother. I was in a motel, just off Interstate 35, on the outskirts of the city where she lived with her family.

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, March 12,2008

Be patient

Bill Geiser had plenty of problems, but did he have to die?

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Initial reports didn’t reveal the name of the mentally ill man killed by Springfield police last Saturday night at the Bel-Aire Motel — so when I he