Caitlin Devitt

Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Nebraska museum, showcasing America's pioneer history, defaulted this month on $20 million of capital appreciation bonds, the latest in a series of defaults on $60 million of debt issued in 1998 that the museum has never had enough money to service.

The city of Westfield in Indiana has signed a memorandum of understanding with Citizens Energy Group to sell its water and sewer system to the non profit utility.

Cook County, Ill. officials hope that the Medicaid expansion provision in the Affordable Care Act will help reduce chronic deficits in its large public hospital system.

Standard & Poor's last week raised its long-term rating to BBB from BBB-minus on the Cleveland Cuyahoga County Port Authority's bond fund program. The outlook is stable.

Ahead of a November ballot referendum to repeal Michigan's emergency management law, a new survey shows that 38% of local officials support it.

Benton Harbor, which is under state-controlled emergency financial management by Michigan, hopes to win a $7 million loan from the state to help stabilize its finances, according to local reports.

Oakland County, Mich., last week approved a $1.27 billion three-year general-fund budget that includes no tax increases and $500 bonuses for most full-time employees in the first year.

Omaha lost one of its two prized triple-A ratings Friday when Moody's Investors Service downgraded the city to Aa1. But the move did not mean much of a hit to the city's borrowing costs when it headed to market Monday.

Sequestration would mean $11.1 billion of Medicare cuts starting in 2013, a 2% reduction that would mean more headaches for many non-profit hospitals, especially lower-rated issuers, Fitch Ratings said in a commentary.

A year after firing its new CEO, the Wayne County Airport Authority, Michigan has hired the airport's long-time CFO Thomas Naughton to serve in the top position.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Wednesday launched a campaign targeting six November ballot measures, including one that could overturn the state's emergency management law.

New Ohio State University housing will be financed in part through bonds.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last week filed a federal lawsuit to halt a new $245 million American Indian-owned casino set to open in downtown Lansing later this year.

Detroit has hammered out a tentative lease agreement with Michigan to turn the city's popular Belle Isle park into a state park for at least the next 30 years.

The Omaha Public Power District, one of the country's highest-rated utilities, brings its largest borrowing to date to market this week as it continues to struggles with an extended shutdown of its Fort Calhoun nuclear plant.

Michigan State Sen. Mike Kowell plans to introduce bills to create a new statewide port authority that could issue bonds for economic development projects and expand powers of the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority.

Cecil Fritz, who worked at Indiana's top underwriter for 55 years and was a longtime public finance figure in the state, died Aug. 20 at the age of 91.

The House and Senate Wednesday will consider a long-stalled five-bill package to overhaul the state's retirement system in an effort to trim its pension and retiree health care benefits liability.

Moody's Investors Service last week downgraded its rating to Ba3 from Ba1 on Ypsilanti Public Schools general obligation bonds, warning that the troubled Michigan district may face a so-called payless payday this year.

Indiana officials said revenues fell nearly 2% below expectations in August, though revenues overall are 4% ahead of forecasts for the first two months of the fiscal year.