NPR has confirmed some elements of a reported $200-million-settlement that resolves civil and criminal penalties growing out of last year's Upper Big Branch mine disaster in West Virginia. Sources tell NPR the deal will include cash payments for the families of the 29 mine workers killed in the nation's worst mine explosion in 40 years.

A hearing that will determine the sentence for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich begins Tuesday. The ex-governor, convicted on corruption charges, is expected to testify.

The owner of the Upper Big Branch coal mine is reportedly ready to pay slightly more than $200 million to settle civil and criminal claims resulting from the explosion that killed 29 people last year. An announcement is expected Tuesday, along with a final report from the Mine Safety and Health Administration on what caused the blast.