News | Wednesday, August 22,2007

Relieved of duty

ISP agent finds herself in the hot seat again

Untitled Document An Illinois State Police agent who narrowly avoided indictment in 2005 has been relieved of duty and is currently under investigation in a tangentially related

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Thursday, August 16,2007

A matter of timing

Don’t wait till it’s too late to show someone you care

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Aidah Mahmood’s e-mails were easy to ignore. The first one, on May 28, was a single rambling paragraph into which she had condensed an incredible horror s

Feature | Thursday, August 16,2007

Twice burned

She waited 35 years for the law to punish the men who tried to kill her

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Anyone who met Aidah Mahmood would instantly realize that she had sustained a horrible injury. Her arms and legs exhibited the peculiar topography of skin graft

News | Wednesday, July 25,2007

His mysterious ways

Religious leader indicted for failing to abate asbestos

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Ray Landers has a God-given gift for making money. According to his Web site, raylanders.com, he “carries an anointing to release understanding of the spi

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, July 18,2007

The Holy Grail?

Why the 2,300-page ISP report is likely to raise more questions than it answers

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Back in December 2005, I spent several days in a Sangamon County courtroom watching a middle-aged man stand trial for possession of marijuana. Set up in a sting

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, July 11,2007

Move over, Homer

Here’s the real story about Springfield, USA

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Simpsons schmimpsons. Who needs ’em? So what if Springfield, Vt., whomped us in USA Today’s contest to host the animated family’s movie pre

Feature | Wednesday, July 11,2007

A matter of perspective

Freshman alderman Gail Simpson’s fresh take on Springfield

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Gail Simpson lives in a two-story house in the Stratford Place subdivision with her 21-year-old daughter, Morgan, and their pet Chihuahua, Spike. She has an adm

Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink | Wednesday, June 27,2007

A Springfield tutorial

Explaining the capital city isn’t easy

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Here at Illinois Times, we have a new full-time staff writer, which qualifies as a truly blessed event at our lean, mean little journalism machine. Her name is

News | Wednesday, June 27,2007

All’s well with Caldwell?

Interim police chief tells City Council why he’s right for the job

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document Ralph Caldwell, acting chief of the Springfield Police Department, appeared before City Council members Tuesday evening to answer their questions and make his c

News | Wednesday, June 20,2007

On this they agree...

Lawyers in Black Guardians case admonished

By Dusty Rhodes

Untitled Document After more than three years of legal wrangling, attorneys for the city of Springfield have finally found an issue on which they see eye to eye with Courtney Cox