• During the closing arguments of Jason Curl’s sexual assault bench trial Thursday, two vastly different pictures of the young man emerged — one as calculated predator, the other as naive consenter.

• Got cabin fever? Almost every evening, James Jones and his family gather in their Momence home to play interactive video games.They also look at these as providing a great fitness opportunity.

• A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected an emergency request from towns around Chicago to postpone Canadian National Railway Co.’s $300 million purchase of a 200-mile railway.

• Illinois’ embattled but defiant governor turns to the history books to describe the emotional strain on him and his family, comparing his arrest last month to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.

• With the start date for his impeachment trial rapidly approaching, Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s anger over proceedings he considers a sham could lead to a legal showdown in Illinois’ highest court. A lawsuit challenging “completely unfair” Senate trial rules is being prepared, Blagojevich attorney Samuel E. Adam told The Associated Press on Thursday.