Nation IN BRIEF : ILLINOIS : Talks Cut Off; Chicago Schools May Close

Talks broke up without a settlement between Chicago teachers and the school board, and a federal judge will decide whether classes continue for 411,000 students. The Board of Education asked U.S. District Judge Charles P. Kocoras to extend by 30 more days his order to keep schools open, even though the school budget isn’t balanced, as the law requires. If he refuses the board’s request, the schools will shut down indefinitely. More talks between the two sides are scheduled for Tuesday. The board faces a $300-million deficit and has had no success at getting nearly $80 million in concessions it has requested from the teachers’ union.