Spotlight shortcut won't work anymore, Pref Pane not loading properly

Today, without any new installs etc., Spotlight stopped responding to my keyboard shortcut (CTRL+Space), and the Spotlight Search Window won't launch with its shortcut (CTRLALTSpace). If I click on the magnifier, it works.
I tried to go into Spotlight preferences, but the pref pane wouldn't load, getting stuck at Loading Spotlight...
I clicked on another pref pane, then clicked on Show All, then tried SL again, and it loaded, only the bottom 4 categories in the Searth Results tab are all blank: no icon, no description. I unchecked them, checked them again, booted into Safe Mode, repaired permissions, all to no avail.
What's eating my Spotlight? Any tips appreciated.

If I run System Preferences, then click on Spotlight, like I state above, it gets hung on Loading Spotlight...
If at that point I right-click the System Preferences icon in the Dock, then select Spotlight from the pop-up menu (or if I simply click on the Spotlight icon of the Preferences window once more), Spotlight Preferences do load up. Alas, some of the categories in the Search Results are blank. Currently, the only categories showing are: Applications, System Preferences, Documents, Folders, and Mail Messages. Categories underneath these 5 (Nos. 6-14) are all blank lines.
If I attempt to re-order any of the blank ones and bring one of them to the top area of the list, where the categories are showing their names, then exit System Preferences, then open System Preferences once again, then click on Spotlight, then click on Spotlight a second time so it opens, then I see that more categories are now not showing (i.e. their lines are blank, just the category number shows, plus the check box, checked or unchecked).
If, though, I re-order any of the blank lines so that they are moved further down the list, i.e. lower than other blank lines, then exit and reopen Spotlight preferences (with all the click and click again involved), then there are more categories showing their names.
I found out I can follow this 'technique', but I get stopped when I'm left with just one category that's still blank. I can't fiddle with that last one in any way to make it show up its name next time I open System Preferences and manage to load Spotlight.
Oh, and throughout the whole process, however many times I try to set my Spotlight shortcuts at the bottom of the pane, they don't stick: next time I see the pane, they're gone, replaced by two empty fields. Only way to invoke Spotlight is by clicking on the magnifier.
So, anyone still following this bizarre hick-up? And, more importantly, any ideas what I can do to alleviate the problem, short of driving a metal rod through my MacBook Pro's screen?

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