Shelly Sigo

Legislation aimed at allowing Georgia to take over public schools failing to achieve passing grades has been filed. The measure would require a voter-approved constitutional amendment.

Miami-Dade County plans to use a public-private partnership to build and repair its court and jail facilities. Qualifications from firms will be sought soon.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott's lack of board appointments to the Florida Development Finance Corp. calls into question its authority to issue bonds, including billions in debt it has agreed to issue.

Standard & Poor's upgraded Miami's general obligation bond ratings to A-plus from BBB citing the city's improved financial management practices and budget flexibility.

The Kentucky Senate passed a bill Feb 6 that allows for the state’s first charter schools. The measure now goes to the House.

Declining oil prices prompt Louisiana to implement its second budget cut of fiscal 2015.

The Kentucky Legislature is considering a bill that would create a state-run retirement plan for private-sector workers. SIFMA opposes the measure.

New construction delays on nuclear units in South Carolina and Georgia are prompting reviews of potential credit impacts on public power utilities involved in the projects.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory plans to ask legislators for $2.6 billion in separate bond programs to fix neglected buildings and fund strategic road.

The effort to resuscitate spring training on Florida's east coast advanced this week with the approval of a land swap for a bond-financed MLB ballpark.

Ex-JPMorgan bankers have asked a federal judge to dismiss federal pay-to-play charges related to the sewer deals that helped push Jefferson County, Ala., into bankruptcy.

Plummeting oil and gas revenue collections in Louisiana that have added to a growing deficit in fiscal 2015 and 2016 are a credit negative for the state, according to Moody's Investors Service.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a motion for summary judgment in its securities fraud case against two former JPMorgan bankers involved in Jefferson County's sewer deals and swaps.

Alabama State University's long-term ratings were dropped far into junk territory, to B from BBB-plus, by Standard & Poor's Jan. 30 due to the “significant” erosion of reserves.

Public power utilities in five southern states most likely face fiscal challenges in complying with the EPA's Clean Power Plan, a new index by Fitch Ratings shows.

The Georgia General Assembly plans to debate a bill that would provide more than $1 billion in new transportation funding in this year's session.

The governors of Kentucky and Ohio plan to lower the $2.6 billion construction cost of the Brent Spence Bridge project in order to move the long-planned, bi-state venture forward.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott recommended a $77 billion budget and new tax cuts for the upcoming fiscal year.

The trustee for the Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority's defaulted bonds wants a toll increase for the Garcon Point Bridge but north Florida residents are opposing the plan.

The Georgia Supreme Court holds oral arguments Feb. 3 in three appeals opposing the public financing for the Atlanta Braves’ new stadium in Cobb County.