Princeton pays its r-e-s-p-e-c-t to Aretha

The "Queen of Soul" has a new honor. Aretha Franklin received an honorary doctorate of music degree during Princeton University's commencement on Tuesday.

Known for her vast repertoire that spans soul, jazz, rock, blues, pop and gospel, the 70-year-old Franklin has recorded 223 albums in a career spanning more than 50 years and received 21 Grammy Awards. She has performed at presidential inaugurations and also sang at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

The latest honor is nothing new for the Queen of Soul. Franklin received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007.

Following Princeton tradition, the identity of the honorary degree recipients was kept secret until the morning of the Ivy League school's commencement.

It's never too late Alonzo H. Cushing is close to receiving the Medal of Honor nearly 150 years after his heroic actions at Gettysburg. A little-noticed provision of a House-approved defense bill would waive the time limit for posthumously bestowing the nation's highest military honor, allowing the medal to be bestowed on the 22-year-old Union artillery lieutenant who died during Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. It still needs Senate passage and the president's signature. Margaret Zerwekh, who lives on land once owned by the Cushing family near Delafield, Wis., has been lobbying Wisconsin lawmakers since the mid-1980s, when she first wrote Sen. William Proxmire about Cushing's case.

CAIN TALK: Herman Cain came up short in his quest for the White House, but he already has his Inauguration Day plans figured out. The former Godfather's Pizza chief executive and GOP presidential contender, who ended his candidacy in December, will make his return to the world of radio at 9 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2013. Cain will be taking over for Neal Boortz, the longtime Atlanta-based News/Talk WSB radio host whose syndicated show airs daily on more than 200 stations. For Cain, the move is something of a homecoming; he hosted his own evening radio program, "The Herman Cain Show," on WSB from 2008 to 2011.

BALDWIN HELPS: Alec Baldwin wants to make sure students at a central New York school have the opportunity to get outside and play ball. The actor was in the Syracuse area last weekend to help a local high school's fundraising campaign to save its modified sports program. The star of "30 Rock" attended an event held Sunday in the gym at West Genesee High School, where one of his nephews plays sports. Baldwin grew up on Long Island, where his father was a high school football and baseball coach. He donated $25,000 to save modified sports at West Genesee this school year and is helping raise money for next year's programs.