Shelly Sigo

Moody's drops Covington, Ky.'s bonds to Baa1 citing a history of deficit spending by the city whose finance director recently pleaded guilty to stealing $800,000.

The Louisiana State Bond Commission rejected a settlement with the Justice Department March 20 that would have resolved a federal housing discrimination suit.

Orlando, Fla., is pricing $238.6 million of bonds to finance downtown arts and sports venues, including a stadium that helped the local Orlando City club land a spot in Major League Soccer.

In a post-bankruptcy review, Moody's found that creditors received wide recovery rates in Jefferson County, Ala., and other recent municipal bankruptcies.

The Kentucky House passed a bill that would ban the use of tolls for the $3.5 billion Brent Spence Bridge project being planned by Kentucky and Ohio, while moving ahead with P3 projects elsewhere in the state.

As Mississippi legislative session winds down, the state's first debt study will guide lawmaker on bond financing decisions, said State Treasurer Lynn Fitch.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe called a special session for March 24 because the House and Senate were unable to agree on a state budget or expanding Medicare.

The credit of 155 local power companies would be negatively affected if the federal government severs ties with the TVA, according to Moody's.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed appointed a 16-member panel March 12 to search for wasteful spending in city government to support issuing infrastructure bonds.

Two of Florida's largest airport operators, in Orlando and Tampa, plan to spend nearly $5 billion on multi-year capital plans dependent on millions in bond financing.

Moody's upgraded Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's general revenue bond ratings to Aa3 from A1 citing its financial and operational strengths.

An Alabama Senate bill passed March 6 would authorize $100 million of bonds to finance digital textbooks for the state's public school teachers and children.

The SEC and former JPMorgan bankers asked a federal court not to exclude experts in the pay-to-play suit involving Jefferson County, Ala.'s sewer deals.

Standard & Poor's affirmed Louisiana's AA rating and stable outlook but warned that the state should find structural solutions to its budget challenges.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation named Clayton Somers as the new executive director of the Turnpike Authority.

President Obama's 2015 budget again recommends reducing or cutting the federal government's ties to the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Georgia plans to begin dredging Savannah Harbor even though President Obama's 2015 budget failed to include federal construction funds for the project.

The Florida Legislature considers several bond-related bills this year, including one requiring cities to get voter's OK for all debt sales over $50 million.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal applauded Monday's U.S. Supreme Court decision to have the Department of Justice file a brief in the water wars case with Florida.

Moody's dropped the GO bond rating of the Commerce City School District, Ga., three notches to Baa1 from A1 citing its negative fund balance and depleted reserves.