Dusty Rhodes: Fresh Ink

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 was low, hollow, tired, resigned, as though he couldn’t even muster the energy to be bitter or mad. As we talked, he kept shrugging off questions by saying things like […]

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 beginning of a good little news story if it were accurate. But it’s not easy to get within spitting distance of reality when two of the three players involved […]

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 — usually just as the credits roll, if it’s on TV — it dawns on the ladies and gentlemen of the jury that the verdict won’t be carried out in […]

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 beautiful bride a health-care provider, the handsome groom an up-and-coming public sector attorney. The bridesmaids wore black gowns with platinum accents and carried red roses — […]

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 didn’t involve passing up beer or potato chips. I don’t recall making many resolutions myself. Way back in the 1900s, I accepted those […]

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 have every right to expect something spicier in this space. My excuse was the convergence of three signs: that November is National Adoption Awareness Month […]

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 just say she was funny; they say she was a bawdy smart-ass. And they don’t just say she was a friend; they say she made each person feel extra […]

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 are many good cops there, many good ones. I hear from a few — some active, some retired and working for ISP on contract, some […]

Today I’m going to take you somewhere you never want to go. Don’t fret; just reading about it won’t hurt you. Besides, it’s the only painless way to peep inside. A brief visit to this place can be humiliating. Spending your life there has to be pure hell. Last month, I went inside three maximum-security […]

When I told my editor I wanted to write a column about Crash, he yawned. “You’re going to do a movie review?” As usual, he had a valid point. I’m no film critic; I’m a chronically sleep-deprived overworked mom. Put me in a dark room with a comfy chair and a tummy full of popcorn […]

I once lived in a place so fresh that people could express their pride in residency simply by the way they put their renewal stickers on their license plates. Most motorists placed them properly, inside that rectangular dimple on the license’s upper right-hand corner, smack on top of last year’s tag. But others refused to […]

Nothing about last Thursday’s press conference was by the book. The announcement was hasty (less than an hour’s notice) yet the cast included the mayor, the police chief, two city attorneys, and the director of the Lincoln Library. Between the short notice and the long list of bigwigs, the sense of urgency was unmistakable. The […]