Yvette Shields

The harmful effects of a repeal of the federal Affordable Care Act without a replacement package to soften the blow would extend beyond hospitals to lllinois' economy, according to the state hospital association.

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority heads into the New Year with a $1.7 billion budget that includes $300 million of borrowing to finance projects in the sixth year of its $12 billion, 15-year capital program.

Illinois is losing its budget director, Tim Nuding.

Genesee County, Mich., officials say they don't expect criminal charges against former Flint leaders stemming from the city's participation in the Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline to impact the project or its bonds.

The state-backed restructuring of Detroit’s public school system is a positive development for existing bondholders, says Moody’s Investors Service.

Hamline University in Minnesota is at risk of losing of its investment grade credit due to balance sheet strains after a downgrade to Baa3.

Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens threw a wrench in financing plans for a $200 million stadium to house a new St. Louis-based Major League Soccer team this week after announcing his opposition to public subsidies for professional teams.

New criminal charges stemming from the Flint, Michigan water contamination crisis accuse two former state-appointed emergency managers and two other ex-city employees with using false and misleading tactics to participate in the bond-financed Karegnondi Water Authority project.

Chicago returns to the market in January with a $1.14 billion general obligation deal that should benefit from the stabilization of three of its bond ratings.

An Illinois school district under federal scrutiny for its past misuse of bond proceeds saw its rating fall to junk as Moody’s Investors Service lowered the Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 one notch to Ba1.

Lured by opinions and ratings endorsing its bankruptcy-remote structure and a still steep yield penalty, investors snapped up Chicago Public Schools’ A-rated capital improvement tax bonds.

Plans to upgrade Chicago’s streetlamp system are advancing with the launch of a public lighting demonstration ahead of a deadline early next year for final submissions from shortlisted private partners.

The Illinois Regional Transportation Authority Thursday will consider a $3 billion operating budget and $5.1 billion five-year capital plan that boosts spending next year but still falls far short of its needs as a new state capital program languishes amid the ongoing budget impasse.

Minneapolis-based investment bank Dougherty & Co. LLC will extend its trading and sales reach with the acquisition of fellow Minneapolis-based municipal broker-dealer Cronin & Co. Inc.

Illinois’ passage of a rate hike package to help keep open Exelon Generation Co. LLC’s nuclear plants in the state is a credit positive for the company, Moody’s Investors Service said.

With legal opinions endorsing the bankruptcy-remote structure of its next deal, and an A rating in hand, Chicago Public Schools’ new tax-revenue backed credit has a clear path to market access, though yield penalties will remain.

Chicago Public Schools is readying its inaugural sale under a new dedicated capital improvement tax structure crafted to convince investors that bond repayment is insulated from both the district's operating struggles and the threat of Chapter 9.

State and federal judges in Wisconsin approved final settlement agreements with Stifel and Royal Bank of Canada to conclude an eight-year effort by five school districts to recoup $200 million lost on a risky investment product.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District heads into the market with a $150 million mostly new money issue that taps a $945 million voter-approved bonding authorization from 2012.

Iowa’ s Xenia Rural Water District brought its long financial struggles to a happy ending as it formally shed remaining bonds from its troubled 2006 issue, ending a saga that began with an ambitious expansion that led to default and concerns over the district’s solvency.