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Fitch Ratings downgraded Illinois one notch to BBB-plus.

Illinois’ deferral of its November pension contribution over a cash flow crunch is a negative credit factor, said Moody’s Investors Service.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s strong financials and independent governance are key strengths that have staved off the credit hits suffered by Chicago and other local governments, says Moody’s Investors Service.

Distribution of an $8.25 million legal settlement fund for investors in a failed Missouri sucralose plant is expected by the end of the year in a class action suit against underwriter Morgan Keegan and law firm Armstrong Teasdale.

Indianapolis received a first time general obligation rating of AA-plus from Kroll Bond Rating Agency.

Cuyahoga County, Ohio would borrow up to $65 million to finance upgrades to the venues of Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians and the National Basketball Association’s Cleveland Cavaliers

Wisconsin finished off its last fiscal year in the black with a narrow ending balance of $135.6 million, according to a new fiscal report from the Department of Administration.

Michigan will send $6 million Flint’s way to help cover the costs of reconnecting to Detroit’s water and sewer system after a year of struggling with polluted water from the Flint River.

Investors squeezed a more modest penalty out of Chicago on a recent $419 million wastewater revenue bond deal than they have demanded on its general obligation paper, market participants said.

Arguing a recent 1 cent sales tax hike isn’t enough to solve Cook County, Ill.’s budget and pension strains, board President Toni Preckwinkle’s proposed 2016 budget relies on a mix of spending cuts and new tax revenue to close a $199 million gap.

Illinois is so short on cash that it won’t make its $560 million monthly pension fund payment next month and could also skip its December payment, state Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger announced Wednesday.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed 2016 budget and record property tax hike plan won the Chicago Civic Federation’s endorsement, with a warning that more pain may be needed to fully stabilize the city’s fiscal condition.

The Holland School District’s sharp and unexpected enrollment decline illustrates the widespread credit challenges many Michigan districts face, says Moody’s Investors Service.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence unveiled a new $1 billion, four-year road and bridge construction plan that draws from reserves and calls for new borrowing.

Chicago heads into the market Wednesday with $440 million of second lien wastewater revenue debt that moves the city closer to putting behind it the $2.2 billion liquidity headache triggered by rating downgrades.

Fitch Ratings revised its outlook on Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare’s BBB rating to positive from stable in recognition of its post-merger growth.

Buoyed by court victories challenging city and state pension reform legislation, labor is now taking aim at 2014 legislation that overhauled the Chicago Park District’s pension benefits and contributions.

Former Chicago Public Schools leader Barbara Byrd-Bennett entered a guilty plea Tuesday to one corruption count leveled against her by federal authorities for allegedly steering contracts to her former employer for promised kickbacks.

Standard & Poor’s has lowered St. Anthony’s Medical Center by two notches to A-minus over dents in its operating performance.

Moody’s Investors Service dropped Good Samaritan Hospital in Knox County, Indiana by one level to Baa2 and warned of the potential for further deterioration by leaving a negative outlook on the rating.