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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The Nederland Board of Trustees approved an agreement to purchase the Eldora Mountain Resort contingent on the sale of revenue bonds.
January 7 -
Bond sales by Texas issuers rose 21% to $82.52 billion, putting the state in second place behind California and well ahead of third-place New York.
January 6 -
Fiscal 2027 budget proposals are being rolled out against a backdrop of unclear impacts from federal tax cuts and policy changes.
December 30 -
The Kansas City Chiefs will leave Missouri for Kansas, where sales tax and revenue bonds will help finance a $3 billion domed stadium expected to open in 2031.
December 23 -
Credit pressures are expected to persist for municipal bond issuers facing water scarcity and increasing costs for projects to produce new supply.
December 23 -
The city's rejection of the petition, which aims to stall or submit the largely bond-financed convention center project to voters, is being challenged in court.
December 18 -
Dallas and police and fire pension officials approved a funding agreement that ends litigation filed by the retirement system last year.
December 16 -
Property taxation is being targeted in a growing movement across the nation for cuts or elimination to address homeowner angst over rising tax bills.
December 16 -
A review Moody's launched in September ended with rating downgrades and negative outlooks for the city's outstanding general obligation and revenue bonds.
December 12 -
The state comptroller's office purchased about $5 million of shares in a bitcoin exchange traded fund last month for a newly created strategic reserve.
December 9 -
Four of Dallas Area Rapid Transit's 13 member cities took action to ask voters in May whether they want to withdraw from the agency.
December 9 -
Race and sex-based preferences were removed from the state's Historically Underutilized Business program, which will focus exclusively on veteran-owned firms.
December 4 -
After selling $260 million of voter-approved bonds for the project, county officials are eyeing a sales tax ballot measure in 2026 to cover the higher cost.
December 3 -
The toll road agency's financial and other practices were targeted in a November legislative study, which could lead to another round of reform legislation.
December 2 -
Legislation authorizing $1.5 billion of revenue bonds, along with fee and tax hikes, could return for a second try in 2026.
November 25 -
The Kerrville Public Utility Board Public Facility Corp.'s bond sale and acquisition of a state loan for the project is a tale of perseverance.
November 25 -
The $6.3 billion all-funds budget was amended in the wake of the Nov. 4 defeat of a property tax rate increase that would have raised $109.5 million in revenue.
November 21 -
After terminating the project in September, the council approved an initial deal with a new contractor team to develop design and construction options.
November 19 -
The airport paired long fixed-rate debt with four- and seven-year mandatory tender bonds in the transaction honored as the Southwest region's Deal of the Year.
November 18 -
A state audit of the Houston-based HBCU that identified financial issues led the governor to direct state agencies to launch an investigation.
November 13
