Richard Williamson

Utah Transit Authority is pricing the largest deal in its history with $831.6 million of bonds designed to smooth debt service through the end of this decade.

The San Antonio Water System will lower its debt by $46.9 million through a $303 million deal that combined new money and refunding.

Moody's Investors Service raised the Harris County Houston Sports Authority's subordinate debt to investment grade after settlement of a lawsuit with its bond insurer and financial restructuring.

The Texas Department of Transportation saved $380 million in net present value, or 21% of its refunded debt, through a $1.68 billion toll bond issue, officials said.

Standard & Poor's anticipates overall stability for the majority of its rated local governments in Texas despite a dramatic oil price drop reminiscent of the 1980s.

The Kansas Department of Transportation will delay $300 million of highway maintenance under Gov. Sam Brownback's plan to reduce a state budget deficit.

Years of underfunding pose a rising threat to state and local pensions in Texas, according to a report from Moody's Investors Service.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez urged lawmakers to set aside $180 million for highway bond projects over the next three years while cutting business taxes and boosting spending on education.

The San Antonio Water System is combining new money bonds for its growing system with refunding in a $291 million issue.

Former Norton Rose Fulbright partner Marcus W. Deitz has joined the public finance practice at McGuire Woods in Houston.

In an attempt to solve legal challenges to the Texas school finance formula, House Public Education Committee Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock has introduced a bill that would create 30 school finance districts across the state.

In a state with the nation's highest incarceration rate, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin is calling on the state legislature to reduce the number of inmates through drug treatment and mental health programs.

Newly inaugurated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who sued President Obama 31 times as attorney general, promised to continue fighting the federal government in his first speech as chief executive of the Lone Star State.

A report used to set local tax rates shows that Colorado property values rose 14.3% in two years. Lawmakers must return a portion of the rising revenues to taxpayers under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Ten Texas financial advisors with Southwest Securities jumped to Samco Capital Markets after SWS was acquired by Hilltop Holdings Inc., the parent firm of First Southwest Co.

Sticking to his plan to cut income taxes, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is proposing higher taxes on alcohol and tobacco to cover a shortfall of more than $700 million over the current and coming fiscal years.

After a record year of debt issuance, the Texas Transportation Commission expects a significant reduction in borrowing costs for its Central Texas Tollway System as it issues $1.8 billion of refunding bonds.

In a farewell speech to the Texas Legislature that some saw as a prelude to another presidential campaign, Gov. Rick Perry highlighted his accomplishments after a record 14 years in office but did not mention prospects for a weakening economy.

The Texas economy will continue to grow in 2015 but at a slower pace than the past year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Beginning his second term, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper described his personal struggles and those of the state over the past four years while promising progress on water, transportation and environmental fronts.