A pension fight, a president's tombstone and a smaller-than-expected reward. News stories last week about these three topics left us scratching our heads.

* Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn gave state lawmakers a deadline of Jan. 9 to overhaul state employee pension funds. Or what? What will Quinn do if lawmakers fail to act? Set a new deadline? Goodness knows that many deadlines have come and passed on this issue.

* The University of Missouri has had a portion of Thomas Jefferson's tombstone in storage for 130 years, but now it's sending it off to the Smithsonian for restoration work. But it has been packed away for more than a century; why would something in protected storage need restoration?

* Freeburg resident Nate Marlen is upset that he didn't get the $10,000 reward he was expecting for catching two serial arsonists torching buildings near his home. He said he wouldn't have put himself in danger for just $1,000. So was $1,000 enough of a reward given the risk?