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White House Valentines
The only president to serve nonconsecutive terms, Cleveland’s wedding during his first administration captured the imagination of the nation. Today, however, some may find the union a bit distasteful. Cleveland, then 49 and a lifelong bachelor, was 28 years older than his wife, the daughter of a close friend.

Name-calling
That “-er” is the problem. “-er” is the most common way of ending a word for someone carrying out an action, while “-ian” is a word ending used to form nouns and modifiers that show something belongs to a group or place. An “-er” does, an “-ian” is.

Editor’s note
At Monday night’s Citizens Club meeting to ponder Sangamon County’s low ranking in health indicators – 80th among 102 counties in Illinois – a new guard seems ready to move in where the old guard has stopped advancing.

The educated poor: adjunct professors
There’s a growing army of the working poor in our U.S. of A., and big contingents of it are now on the march. They’re strategizing, organizing and mobilizing against the immoral economics of inequality being hung around America’s neck by the likes of Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and colleges.

LETTERS
It is not true jurors “gauge the inclinations of others” and then vote for the verdict that will get them out of the room the fastest. I have found jurors who deliberate the fate of a fellow citizen take their role very seriously. They discuss the evidence responsibly and weigh the views of fellow jurors so as to reach a just verdict.

A hitch in Rutherford’s race for governor
As I write this, the publicly revealed facts are still quite thin. A now former employee of Rutherford’s has claimed, without producing any hard evidence as of this writing, that he was sexually harassed and told to do political fundraising work.

PLATES FOR A CURE
Cancer in kids is one of life’s cruelest realities, but folks in central Illinois are working to change that. Zoe Pramuk of Decatur successfully fought cancer with the help of Dr. Gregory Brandt, a pediatric doctor at SIU School of Medicine.

KIDS’ HOCKEY JAMBOREE
A jamboree is an event consisting of “small, fast, abbreviated cross ice games focusing on important skills such as puck possession and stick handling,” according to information from the association. The event will use the USA Hockey’s American Development model of a jamboree, which promotes athletic safety and fun.

Leaders: Balance school funding
The committee of legislators, which was created in July to recommend a new funding system for education in Illinois, came out with its report Jan. 31.

Corporate savings won’t save Illinois
Illinois has one of the highest corporate income tax rates in the country when the 7 percent rate is combined with the 2.5 percent personal property replacement tax, which Madigan’s plan proposes to keep at its current rate.

Incensed
That Traveling Treasures on Chatham Road was selling pipes and so-called incense that – nudge, nudge, wink wink – was not intended for human consumption was no secret.

Regan runs again
“I think that there’s an opportunity for our campaign to take advantage of what’s going on in the Republican campaign with those two,” says Jeff Regan, who lost four years ago when he ran for the post, also as a write-in Democrat. “Somebody’s going to lose, and there’s going to be an unsatisfied part of that equation that I can take advantage of.

Sniffing out trouble
Outside the building sit several new Ford Explorers with Springfield police markings, each one containing a highly trained police dog eager to sweep the building for contraband.

Cabin fever crazy
I’m recovering from a broken leg that postponed knee surgery scheduled for early November. Since my unstable knee was responsible for the broken leg, I’ve been virtually housebound for almost four months, especially since the horrible weather has made it too risky to venture out.

Monuments Men missing momentum
Clooney is art historian Frank Stokes who, when we first see him, is giving a presentation to FDR, imploring him to take steps to find and protect the many, many pieces of priceless art that they know have been stolen throughout Europe.

Springfield wherever you go
A week ago, I was in sunny central Florida (it actually was 55 and raining most of the time) playing a few shows with friends. I’m glad to be back and I’d like to thank Ken Carlyle, Patrick Hagerman, Josh Reilly and Brian Reilly for all the help in setting up shows and all that good stuff.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | John Corbett
Yes, it’s the same John Corbett from “Northern Exposure,” “Sex in the City,” My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

PUB CRAWL
Luke Turasky and Mike Burnett Acoustic.

Annie Leibovitz comes to town
Legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz herself was in town last week for the opening of her new photography exhibit, “Pilgrimage,” at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The exhibit features some 70 color photographs from her recent personal work.

MUSIC | Song and storytelling
Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble returns to UIS Studio Theatre Feb. 15 for a collaboration with University of Illinois Springfield faculty members that takes from the theme of the ancient Greek Muses and their influence over the arts and sciences.

THE CALENDAR
Music: General Events 3rd Annual Flirting for Disaster.

FILM | Play of lovers
Three performances of Romeo and Juliet.

MUSIC | Sound portraits
Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site kicks off its new 2014 series of musical performances, Made for Music, on Feb. 15 with an appearance by the innovative jazz trio Wertico Cain and Gray, featuring Grammy-winning drummer Paul Wertico. Wertico Cain and Gray create what they call “sound portraits” using both music and visual effects.