Six counties in 60 seconds.(News)

Nuclear power forum Friday:

Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk have asked federal and state nuclear experts to attend a forum to discuss the safety of the state's nuclear reactors and whether Illinois is prepared for an emergency, citing Japan's still-unfolding crisis.Officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Exelon Corp. and environmental groups say they plan to attend the meeting Friday at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago. "I have no reason to believe we have a particular concern (in Illinois), but what happened in Japan, I think, is fair warning that we ought to periodically review this," Durbin said Tuesday.Some watchdog and environmental groups, however, have said they're concerned that four of the state's 11 reactors at the Dresden and Quad City generating plants are of the same design and about the same age as those involved in Japan's nuclear crisis.

Beware of scammers:

ComEd is shining a light on scammers it says prey on consumers when the weather starts warming up. They include robbers posing as ComEd workers to enter homes or make customers fork over money for bogus electric work or parts. ComEd's Rita Stols said last year the utility received 11 reports of impersonation incidents, up from seven in 2009. ComEd's advice is to always ask to see a company photo ID before allowing any utility worker into your home or business. Also, never pay on-site for services. ComEd employees don't ask for cash payments or personal banking information.

Student aid deadline extended:

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission has decided to extend its deadline for current and prospective college students to apply for the state's largest need-based college scholarship program. The new deadline to apply for Monetary Award Program grants is Friday. That's for students hoping to receive tuition assistance in the 2011-12 school year. Even with the deadline extension, it is the earliest cutoff date for applications for MAP grants. The state awards money from MAP to students on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. About 130,000 Illinois students received grants for the current academic year.

Broadband exceeds landlines:

The number of broadband Internet connections in Illinois has exceeded the number of phone landlines for the first time, a sign that the use of traditional phone service continues to decline. The number of high-speed Internet connections in the state rose to 6.4 million last year, while the number of phone landlines dropped 31 percent to 6.2 million, the State Journal-Register of Springfield reported. But both numbers are dwarfed by the number of Illinois wireless subscribers: about 11.6 million last year.