Paul Burton

New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli proposed establishing an industry-supported fund to recover damages caused by accidents related to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.

Fitch Ratings upgraded Massachusetts’ special obligation highway revenue bonds to AA-plus from AA with a stable outlook. The agency said the move was part of its continuous surveillance effort.

Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson warned that without a fiscal recovery plan in place, Pennsylvania's capital city would be unable to pay its nearly 500 workers in mid-September.

Though the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey didn't say so directly in its statement announcing stunningly high fare-hike proposals, the message was clear: the authority is worried about its bond rating.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Puerto Rico's general obligation rating Monday to Baa1 from A3, with a negative outlook, one day before the Puerto Rico Public Building Authority's planned pricing of $981 million of bonds.

Moody’s Investors Service said Monday it has downgraded the general obligation rating of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to Baa1 from A3. The outlook is negative.

Ron Davis only recently found out about Central Falls' predicament."Somebody sent me an e-mail two days ago," Davis, the mayor of Prichard, Ala., said Thursday in a telephone interview.But his city of 23,000 residents along Alabama's Gulf Coast and the Rhode Island city in bankruptcy court, both with similar population sizes, have experienced major struggles with pension-debt gridlock.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island in Providence has designated the Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing by Central Falls as historical, according to a court filing.

Moody’s Investors Service confirmed the Aa1 long-term letter-of-credit-backed rating of Philadelphia’s Series 2009B general obligation multi-modal refunding bonds, affecting $100 million of debt.

Pittsburgh’s City Council has tabled a $91.7 million bond proposal aimed at saving about $3.6 million.

The New York City Transitional Finance Authority has sold $1.05 billion of future tax-secured, fixed-rate conversion and refunding subordinate-lien bonds.

One day after voters soundly rejected a $400 million bond proposal to build an arena for the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano called for private development proposals.

Cape May County’s Board of Chosen Freeholders will hold a public hearing on Tuesday over a proposed $61 million bond ordinance.

New Hampshire state revenue in July dropped by $6.6 million from the same month in 2010, to $86.3 million, the Department of Administrative Services said.

The Connecticut State Bond Commission approved $3 million of repairs for the Hartford-to-East Hartford railroad bridge. The funding was part of a state infrastructure improvement package aimed at school and transportation projects.

The bankruptcy filing of Central Falls, R.I., created another ripple Thursday, one day after the city's Chapter 9 case opened in downtown Providence.

The bankruptcy case of Central Falls, R.I., opened in downtown Providence on Wednesday, with the attorney for the city’s state-appointed receiver saying things have reached a tipping point.

Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson has called for Pennsylvania, Dauphin County and a bond insurer to forgive any of the estimated $26 million of debt not covered by the sale of its financially troubled incinerator and revenue from other measures in her financial recovery plan.

As soon as Central Falls, R.I., filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, questions emerged.

One day after Nassau County voters body-checked a $400 million bond proposal for a new arena for the New York Islanders, the state-appointed board that oversees the county’s finances told local officials to get their house in order.