Karen is a senior reporter covering the Southwest. She has covered the municipal bond market for more than 30 years at The Bond Buyer and Reuters. Prior to that she wrote about futures and options markets for magazines and was an award-winning reporter for a suburban Chicago newspaper chain.
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Fallout from the Legacy Cares deal includes bondholder lawsuits against the underwriter and bond counsel, payment defaults, a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and now fraud charges from the SEC and DOJ.
April 2 -
A bill exempting local governments from a law prohibiting contracts with firms that "boycott" fossil fuels met a key milestone as did a pro-gun blacklist bill.
April 2 -
Legislation addressed expanding water supply, paying for flood damage, financing for capital projects, as well as a fiscal 2026 spending plan.
April 1 -
The S&P issuer rating upgrade marks the second for Oklahoma since September when Moody's raised its rating a notch to Aa1.
March 26 -
The legislation would create a bond-financed reinsurance program to stabilize the homeowner's insurance market, which has been impacted by wildfires.
March 26 -
Goldman Sachs was tapped to lead a sales tax revenue bond issue to finance an arena to replace Paycom Center, home of the NBA's Thunder.
March 25 -
Houston, Phoenix, and Dallas are taking action to address fiscal challenges brought on by litigation, state actions and a ballot measure.
March 25 -
The rating agency cited a tax cut package enacted by the state last year and uncertainty over federal policies for the outlook revision to stable from positive.
March 21 -
The city council approved the private placement of up to $325 million of notes to commence funding for a $1 billion convention center expansion project.
March 19 -
The state is trying to navigate its way to a fiscal 2026 budget amid potential federal policy changes and the heightened risk of a recession.
March 18 -
Bond-issuing infrastructure districts and development zones were a focus of legislation passed by Utah lawmakers during a session that ended March 7.
March 18 -
A city-created corporation plans to issue bonds for the mass transit project, paid off with a voter-approved hike in the maintenance and operations property tax.
March 12 -
The Lone Star state, the nation's largest exporter of goods, could be hit economically by a tariff war, particularly with Mexico, its biggest trading partner.
March 11 -
Glenn Hegar, the state comptroller since 2015, was chosen as the next chancellor for the Texas A&M University System by its board of regents.
March 7 -
Ordinances pending before the city council would authorize up to $325 million of interim financing that would be refunded with fixed-rate, 30-year bonds.
March 6 -
The Texas city, which is considering an $800 million general obligation bond election next year, expects to issue nearly $400 million of debt in 2025.
March 5 -
Texas, Oklahoma, and other Southwest states would jump on the bitcoin bandwagon amid a nationwide surge in bills to invest public money in cryptocurrencies.
March 4 -
A voter-approved charter amendment requiring a bigger police force spurred Moody's Ratings to revise its outlook on the city's A1 bond rating to negative.
February 27 -
The rating agency said the one-notch downgrade, which comes ahead of a bond sale, was due to weaker operating performance and liquidity.
February 26 -
Legislation to continue a sales tax and revenue bond program until July 1, 2028, and allow its use for mall redevelopment projects, passed the Senate.
February 26
