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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Municipal bond issuers in the state dodged a barrage of bills in this year's legislative session seeking to constrain their debt sales.
June 10 -
Ahead of a 14-3 vote to pass the $7 billion spending plan, concerns were raised about new legislation affecting the city's public safety pension funds.
June 5 -
Colorado's largest water utility is prohibited from expanding Gross Reservoir, but can continue construction on Gross Dam, according to the ruling.
June 3 -
The Delta Center hockey and basketball venue will be renovated with proceeds from the $900 million Downtown Revitalization Public Infrastructure District deal.
June 3 -
A new law lifts the revenue bond cap for the Grand River Dam Authority to $3.6 billion from $1.41 billion
May 30 -
The high court reversed a lower-court ruling that yanked federal approval for the Uinta Basin Railway; backers hope to finance it with private activity bonds.
May 29 -
When Chicago barred media from its investor conference, it told journalists the policy aligned with peer municipalities' practices. The facts are less clear.
May 28 -
Controller Chris Hollins raised several concerns about the mayor's $7 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, including its use of reserves.
May 28 -
Mayor Mike Johnston, who announced furloughs and a hiring freeze, said an economic downturn spurred by President Donald Trump is major challenge for the city.
May 27 -
Facing big demand for housing, the state's efforts to spur development have spurred litigation by cities challenging recent laws and a compliance crackdown.
May 27 -
The revenue bonds, which would help finance a bigger convention center to replace the city's current facility, would be issued in the first half of 2026.
May 22 -
The Phoenix-based university will not have to pay a $37.7 million fine after the U.S. Department of Education dropped its case.
May 20 -
Some bills seeking to restrain local government debt issuance are still alive as the Texas Legislature's 2025 session heads towards its home stretch.
May 20 -
The rating agency, which gave the state a positive outlook a year ago, upgraded its general obligation rating a notch to AA-plus ahead of a $25 million bond sale.
May 16 -
The agreement includes $12.6 billion in spending for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and an income tax cut estimated to cost $160 million.
May 15 -
State officials called the one-notch rating cut to Aa1 with a stable outlook "a Trump downgrade" due to the state's heightened exposure to presidential policies.
May 14 -
The up to $385 million of sales and use tax revenue bonds will finance sewer projects to address sanitary system overflows under a federal consent decree.
May 14 -
The $839.5 million Harris County Hospital District bond sale will tap $2.5 billion of voter-approved debt authorization for a $3.2 billion expansion project.
May 13 -
The outlook revision to positive from stable comes ahead of the airport's planned refunding and plans to issue bonds to help finance a $2.7 billion capital program.
May 7 -
The spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 was balanced through an ongoing reorganization of city government, according to Mayor John Whitmire.
May 6
