Caitlin Devitt

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle Monday appointed Reshma Soni as the county’s new comptroller.

The Troy Downtown Development Authority says it will default on nearly $17 million of TIF bonds by November 2013. The bond insurer has threatened to sue or request state intervention if it is forced to cover the obligation and the city doesn't pledge to repay.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Friday declared the Detroit suburb of Allen Park to be in a state of fiscal emergency, due in part to the city's struggle to pay $31 million of general obligation bonds issued for a now-failed film studio project.

One of the Midwest's top bond counsel firms, Missouri-based Gilmore & Bell has opened a new Nebraska office in Omaha, staffed by a trio of public finance attorneys who join the firm from competitor Baird Holm LLP.

A week after hearing oral arguments, the state Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon ruled that three of four high-profile referendums should appear on the November ballot. All three could have long-lasting impact on the state's future if approved.

The Detroit-Wayne County Stadium Authority next week is refunding $61 million of revenue bonds for interest rate savings.

A growing number of local officials are optimistic about their communities' future fiscal stability, a new University of Michigan survey shows. But problems persist, especially among larger jurisdictions struggling with retirement-related debt.

Fitch Ratings last week downgraded $41.1 million of transportation improvement bonds issued by the Butler County Transportation Improvement District, Ohio, to A from AA-minus. The outlook is negative.

The University of Michigan Health System last week announced it has signed an agreement to acquire a piece of MidMichigan Health, a nonprofit system that serves a 14-county region in the center of the state.

A key city-county council committee approved a controversial plan last week to expand Indianapolis’ large, lucrative downtown tax-increment financing district.

Gov. John Kasich, who has made privatization of state assets a top priority, announced that the state will embark on its first P3 with the construction of a new bridge in downtown Cleveland.

Moody's Investors Service cut its rating to Baa2 from Baa1 on Crittenton Hospital, a stand-alone provider that operates in an affluent Detroit suburb.

The state's top court Thursday will hear oral arguments for four controversial ballot proposals that have wound their way through the state's legal system.

A state representative from suburban Columbus said she is drafting legislation that would create a uniform income-tax code for all Ohio municipalities.

Standard & Poor’s last week revised its outlook to positive from stable on Michigan State University and affirmed its AA long-term rating.

Michigan’s recent legislative action reforming its largest retirement system is a credit positive for local school districts, Moody’s Investors Service said last week.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette last week filed court papers seeking to dismiss a ballot proposal that would protect collective bargaining rights by making them part of the state constitution.

A muni bond investment firm warns that a state's decision to opt out of the Medicaid expansion program in the new federal health care law could hurt safety-net hospitals and local governments more than states, and drive up borrowing costs for providers located in those states.

The Detroit-Wayne County Airport Authority comes to market this week with new-money and refunding airport revenue bonds.

Moody’s Investors Service last week affirmed the A2 rating on the Cleveland Municipal School District’s outstanding general obligation unlimited-tax debt, but revised the outlook to negative from stable due in part to the district’s thin liquidity.