Paul Burton

Massachusetts' $50 billion Pension Reserves Investment Trust, which invests on behalf of public employees and teachers, reported a flat return.

Casino operators, Native American and commercial alike, are scrapping for market share. Competition is keener, discretionary dollars are fewer in a still-down economy and several states are scrambling to snare or preserve gambling revenue.

Harrisburg, Pa.'s City Council may allocate $7,500 to defend a lawsuit the city's receiver has filed to force it to triple its earned-income tax, a court ruled.

The Norwich, Conn., City Council put a $33.4 million bond referendum to pay for a new downtown police station on the November ballot.

The bankruptcy case of video game company 38 Studios will move to Rhode Island, after that state's Economic Development Commission and trustee Bank of New York Mellon got Delaware court approval to seize its assets.

Pittsburgh looks to emerge from state oversight, but the city faces pension liability challenges.

Moody's places the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's senior sales tax bonds on review for possible downgrade, affecting roughly $3.8 billion in debt.

Moody's Investors Service calls a bill designed to rein in health care costs a credit negative for Massachusetts hospitals because it will limit revenue growth and reduce operating flexibility.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's confirmation that new rounds of military base closures would not happen in 2013 benefits privatized military housing as a credit, rating analysts say.

The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency plans a $76 million sale of new-money and refunding bonds, with Tuesday's retail period to precede an institutional sale the following day.

A recent analysis of tax data shows that Rhode Island job growth exceeded original estimates for the first quarter of 2012, according to the state's Department of Labor and Training.

Pennsylvania state Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, who sponsored legislation that led to the state takeover of distressed capital city Harrisburg, faces 14 charges of professional misconduct as a private attorney.

Standard & Poor's revised its outlook on the general obligation bonds of Hull, Mass., to stable from negative. The rating agency also affirmed its AA-minus long-term rating.

While the mayor and City Council finally came to terms in Scranton, Pa., over a financial recovery plan, the matter remains at a standstill because the city's state-appointed coordinator doesn't like it.

Massachusetts Treasurer Steven Grossman has emphasized wider disclosure by his office, and in its most recent investor conference call, officials had plenty to share.

New York City leads the list of municipalities in danger of exceeding the state constitutional tax limit, according to a report by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Joining a lower Manhattan real-estate scramble, New York's issued a request for proposals to oversee retail space in its planned Fulton transit center.

New Haven, Conn., has a negative outlook from all three major rating agencies, but a city official speaking ahead of two bond sales would rather emphasize the positive.

A Pennsylvania official Tuesday said the state could relax its Aug. 15 deadline for Scranton to enact a revised recovery plan if it sees the mayor and City Council making progress.

Standard & Poor's raised its long-term and underlying ratings to BBB from BBB-minus on various Yankee Stadium bonds, affecting about $1.3 billion of New York City Industrial Development Agency debt.