Paul Burton is the Northeast Regional Editor for The Bond Buyer. His major coverage has included New York City and MTA finances; the Harrisburg, Pa., debt crisis; the 38 Studios bond financing fiasco in Rhode Island; and unfunded pension liability. Paul hosts podcasts and videos and has moderated at Bond Buyer conferences. Previously, Paul was senior editor and copy chief at M&A-oriented financial media company The Deal LLC. His award-winning career has spanned financial, sports and political journalism. A Boston native, Paul is the author of the book “Tales from the Newsrooms.” He is a frequent public speaker and has appeared as an expert on municipal debt on radio and television shows, including former CBS News White House correspondent Sharyl Attkisson’s public-affairs program, “Full Measure.”
- Rhode Island
A willingness to talk and a sense of urgency prompted Providence and three major unions to agree on pension and health care benefit reductions, according to financial observers.
May 31 - New York
The New York City Transitional Finance Authority plans a $1 billion sale of fixed-rate future tax-secured subordinate new-money bonds next week, beginning with a two-day retail period that starts Monday.
May 31 -
Providence, R.I., Mayor Angel Taveras, who last year likened his city’s finances to a Category 5 hurricane, sees a horizon after announcing a tentative agreement with three major unions over cuts in pension benefits, a compromise he expects will avert a long legal fight and keep Rhode Island’s capital out of bankruptcy court.
May 31 -
Scranton, Pa.'s City Council is willing to allocate $940,000 from a contingency fund to the Scranton Parking Authority to avoid the agency’s default, but wants its officials to answer questions at a public caucus Thursday night.
May 30 - Rhode Island
Acting on a city request, Rhode Island officials appointed a five-member budget commission to oversee the finances of 44,000-population Woonsocket, whose school system’s deficit could worsen to $10 million if state lawmakers don't approve a supplemental tax levy.
May 30 -
Providence, R.I., Mayor Angel Taveras late Wednesday afternoon announced an agreement with municipal workers and retirees that city officials say will enable Rhode Island's capital to avoid bankruptcy through cuts in pension and health care benefits.
May 30 -
MassachusettsThe Massachusetts Water Pollution Abatement Trust on Tuesday held a retail period for $242 million of state revolving fund bonds.
May 29 -
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority will go to market on Wednesday with a $250 million sale of Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority bonds after Moody's Investors Service downgraded the TBTA's bonds last week.
May 25 -
Troubles at 38 Studios, the video-game company founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, could leave Rhode Island taxpayers with a $75 million bill through a loan guarantee — and emphasizes the risk economic development deals pose for issuers.
May 25 -
Troubles at 38 Studios, the video-game company founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, could leave Rhode Island taxpayers with a $75 million bill through a loan guarantee — and emphasizes the risk economic development deals pose for issuers.
May 25 - New York
New York City, with an eye toward boosting parking revenues and catching up with technology, expects to issue requests for qualifications by the end of the month to privatize the operation of its parking meters.
May 24 -
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on Thursday approved Gov. Tom Corbett’s nomination of retired Major General William Lynch as receiver for distressed capital Harrisburg.
May 24 -
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania will hold a confirmation hearing Thursday morning on Gov. Tom Corbett's nominee for Harrisburg receiver, retired Air Force Major Gen. William Lynch.
May 23 -
As Scranton, Pa.'s City Council and Parking Authority squabble over a $1.4 million allocation the agency says it needs to avoid default, one accountant in the city says Scranton itself should seek bankruptcy protection.
May 22 -
The estimated cost of the East Side Access for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has risen by another $1 billion and the completion date pushed back three years — at least.
May 22 -
The Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. discussed the problems of Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios LLC at a Monday night meeting in Providence, but did nothing.
May 22 - New York
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority will issue requests by the end of the month for two new spaces in its landmark Grand Central Terminal, targeting both for sit-down restaurants.
May 21 - Massachusetts
Massachusetts will return to the market Tuesday when it sells $350 million of general obligation bonds through competitive sale.
May 21 -
The business woes of the online video game company former star baseball pitcher Curt Schilling has founded, which appears to be unraveling faster than the 2011 Red Sox, have set off a political, media and bond-industry firestorm.
May 18 - Rhode Island
Former Rhode Island auditor general Ernest Almonte will run for governor as a Democrat in 2014, he announced.
May 18
