Illinois News Digest

Good afternoon. Here's a look at how AP's general news coverage is shaping up in Illinois at 1:30 p.m. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP-Chicago bureau at 312-781-0500 or chifax@ap.org. Herbert McCann is staffing the desk. AP-Chicago News Editor Hugh Dellios can be reached at 312-920-3624 or hdellios@ap.org.

A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. All times are Central.

Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

TOP STORY:

BURNING COAL MINE-EXPANSION

HILLSBORO, Ill. - The owner of a central Illinois coal mine where an underground fire has smoldered for nearly a year is asking state regulators to approve an expansion that some local residents fear could jeopardize public health and cause environmental damage. Foresight Energy ceased production at its Deer Run Mine in early January after what it calls a "combustion event" that elevated carbon monoxide levels below ground and kept out workers. The St. Louis-based company responded by cutting 100 jobs and says it's uncertain when - or if - production will resume. By Alan Scher Zagier. SENT: 600 words. Will be updated. Developing from 5 p.m. hearing.

STATE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

INTELLIGENCE AGENCY-RELOCATION

MASCOUTAH, Ill. - Member of Illinois' congressional delegation are appealing to the head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in support of Scott Air Force Base's bid to host its new facility. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk and other Illinois congressmen wrote a letter to NGA Director Robert Cardillo this week, urging him to select a 182-acre site in St. Clair County as the location of the agency's new $1.6 billion campus. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 250 words.

AROUND THE STATE:

CHICAGO-BODIES FOUND

CHICAGO - There have been no arrests in the week since six family members were found dead in their bungalow home in Chicago, with investigators now turning their attention to surveillance video, to considering possible murder weapons and to speaking with relatives about the family's background for clues. Police say three knives or knife-like weapons were likely used to kill five of the victims; one was shot. Among those investigators planned to speak to is the father of two children among the dead. By Michael Tarm. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 350 words, photos.

CHICAGO POLICE-LAWSUIT

CHICAGO - A Chicago man has won a $1 million verdict in a lawsuit that accuses police of rigging a photo lineup to ensure he would be wrongly identified as an armed robbery suspect. Jermaine Durdin spent nearly two years in the Cook County Jail before he was found not guilty in the 2010 robbery of several hundred dollars from an ice cream truck. The city says it will seek a new trial. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 300 words.

EXCESSIVE FORCE-VERDICT

BENTON, Ill. Jurors in southern Illinois have found in a federal civil lawsuit that an Olney man was the victim of excessive force when law enforcement officers stopped him near Benton in April 2012. The jury verdict comes after a four-day trial at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis. It includes more than $32,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 300 words.

BANK SETTLEMENT

ALBANY, N.Y. - Morgan Stanley will pay $3.2 billion in a settlement over bank practices that contributed to the 2008 financial crisis, including misrepresentations about the value of mortgage-backed securities, authorities announced Thursday. Illinois will get $22.5 million in the settlements announced Thursday. By Michael Virtanen. SENT: 360 words.

OPEN TEXTBOOKS

STORRS, Conn. - Universities and state governments are lining up behind open source textbooks as a way to make college more affordable. The open textbooks, produced with publicly available material, are issued to students for free or a small fraction of the hundreds of dollars they typically spend annually on books. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, has proposed a federal grant program to expand the use of open textbooks. By Michael Melia. SENT: 740 words, photo.

EXCHANGE-COMPUTERS-LEARNING

MARION, Ill. - Only a division equation stood between Brayden Emery and the cartoon zombie, green and gangly, inching near him on the screen. Solve the problem ("What is 24 divided by three?"), save the zombie. Answer incorrectly, and the undead figure moves ever closer. "What times three equals 24?" Brayden's teacher, Jess Landes, asked as she looked over his shoulder. The Lincoln Elementary School third-grader thought for a moment, and tapped 8 on his iPad. The green menace transformed into a real boy, and all was right with the world. By Sarah Halasz Graham. The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan. SENT: 700 words, photos.

IN BRIEF:

-BOEING STOCK: Shares of the Boeing Co. plummeted Thursday morning after a report said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the aircraft manufacturer's accounting.

-ILLINOIS FLOODING: The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is asking its federal counterpart for more time to assess damage form early-winter floods that struck nearly two dozen counties.

-ILLINOID BUDGET: A Chicago-based research group says cleaning up Illinois' budget mess will require difficult decisions such as raising the income tax, slashing spending and imposing taxes.

-CHICAGO-TRANSIT FUNDING: The federal government is steering $156 million in new funding to help Chicago modernize congested and aging sections of its busiest commuter rail corridor.

-SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BONDS: The Illinois State Board of Education has approved 29 school districts for low-interest and zero-interest bonds to pay for the construction and remodeling of schools.

-DRUG SALES-SENTENCE: A suburban Chicago man has pleaded guilty to a drug charge and will serve a 20-year prison term.

-MURDER CONVICTION VACATED-SETTLEMENT: The city of Aurora has agreed to pay $2.65 million to a man wrongly imprisoned for a murder for more than 10 years.

-AMTRAK-ST. PAUL: Ramsey County officials have voted to provide up to $300,000 for the study of a second daily round-trip train between St. Paul and Chicago.

SPORTS:

HKN--STARS-BLACKHAWKS

CHICAGO - The top two teams in the Central face off when the division-leading Chicago Blackhawks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Chicago and Dallas split their first two meetings of the season, including a 5-1 victory for the Blackhawks on Saturday night. By Jay Cohen. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts at 7:30 p.m. CT.

BKW--US TRAINING CAMP

UConn senior Breanna Stewart is taking a break from her season to participate in a three-day training camp for the U.S. women's national basketball team. Stewart is the only college athlete among the 16 players competing. Joining Stewart at the training sessions from Feb. 21-23 on UConn's campus are former Huskies Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Maya Moore. WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne will be there too. By Doug Feinberg. SENT: 420 words, photos.

Also:

-HKN--BLACKHAWKS-WHITE HOUSE: President Barack Obama will host his hometown Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House next week. SENT: 90 words.

-BKC--WRIGHT ST.-ILL.-CHICAGO, 7 p.m. CT

-BKC--MURRAY ST.-SIU-EDWARDSVILLE, 7 p.m. CT

-BKC--ILLINOIS ST.-EVANSVILLE, 8 p.m. CT

-BKC--W. ILLINOIS-DENVER, 8 p.m. CT

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MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Illinois and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click "All" or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.