CLAYTON > County plans crime lab expansion • St. Louis County expects to more than triple the space for its police crime lab by moving from 111 South Brentwood Boulevard to vacant space in the annex building at 7900 Forsyth Boulevard. The laboratory should be in its new space by mid 2012, said Garry Earls, the county's chief operating officer. Last Friday was the deadline for architectural and engineering companies to respond to a county request for qualifications to design the new space. The county has asked the state to allow it to issue $10 million in Economic Recovery Zone Bonds under the federal stimulus program. The new lab would have about 30,000 square feet compared with its current 9,100 square feet. The county has equipment to process more material than it can because the current laboratory lacks space, Earls said.

EDWARDSVILLE > Former college president avoids foreclosure • A foreclosure lawsuit against former Lewis and Clark Community College President Dale Chapman and his wife, Linda Chapman, has been dismissed after reinstatement of a mortgage loan on their home in Alton.

A judge dismissed the action at the request of Regions Bank, the mortgage lender.

Dale Chapman could not be reached for comment Monday but said when he retired at the end of May that he needed to access retirement funds to take care of the mortgage loan and other obligations. He had been LCCC president since 1992.

Chapman said he and his wife bought land and built a retirement home in Massachusetts several years ago but the value of the property declined to less than they owed on it and they borrowed more money to avoid losing the property. Linda Chapman remains the college's vice president of academic affairs.

LCCC trustees approved appointment of Gary Ayres as acting president upon Chapman's retirement, and Robert Watson, the board chairman, left open the possibility of rehiring Dale Chapman.

EAST ST. LOUIS > Governor makes appointments • Gov. Pat Quinn has announced four appointments to the East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority.

Marvin Lampkin of Swansea will be the new chairman of the authority's board of directors. He is senior regional sales manager for Astellas Pharma US and has spent 15 years in the health services and pharmaceutical fields.

Also named to the board were: Clarence Ellis Sr. of East St. Louis, a community leader with experience in education and nonprofits and former chairman of the East St. Louis Planning Commission; David Moore of Belleville, a processor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and Jacqueline Settles of East St. Louis, former senior administrator with the Illinois Department of Corrections and project coordinator with the Housing Authority of East St. Louis. Settles is being reappointed.

The authority was established under state law to provide financial oversight and assistance to East St. Louis. It evaluates the city's annual operating budget and reviews and approves payments, contracts and payroll but does not oversee day-to-day operations.

Patrice Rencher, the authority's executive director, said the appointments would leave one vacancy on the five-member board. Outgoing directors are Katie Harper Wright, Otis Cowan and Anthony "Tony" Grant.

CHICAGO > Ballot set for Senate seat • A federal judge has spelled out who will be on a special election ballot for President Barack Obama's old U.S. Senate seat.

The judge made official Monday what had largely been spelled out in court last week. Illinoisans will vote twice for Senate on Nov. 2 in both special and regular elections.

The candidates will be the same on both ballots. They are the candidates who won their party's primaries in February and independent candidates who filed nominating papers to run for the six-year term and are certified.