Yvette Shields

Barraged with political advertisements about the state's fiscal mess, Illinois voters will elect leaders for two fiscal offices — comptroller and treasurer. Incumbent comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, a Republican, is running for re-election against Democrat Sheila Simon.

Wisconsin and its local governments face relatively low levels of fiscal pressure with a stable outlook due to distinct traits that aid in the maintenance of their health, Moody's Investors Service writes in a special report published Tuesday.

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority will returns to the market Thursday to borrow $400 million of new-money, toll-backed debt to kick off record infrastructure spending planned in the coming year.

Prairie State Generating Co. has named Donald Gaston its new president and chief executive officer after a nationwide search.

Wisconsin's Mercy Health System and Illinois' Rockford Health System plan to join forces as soon as December pending regulatory approval.

Chicago's chief financial officer Lois Scott and veteran New York-based banker and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board chair Kym Arnone will receive the Freda Johnson Award for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance.

Chicago Public Schools has reached an agreement to sell its downtown headquarters for $28 million.

The long saga over the fate of $98 million of defaulted St. Louis convention center hotel bonds is nearing an end with the trustee planning to make a final distribution payment of $1.4 million to bondholders next month.

The Chicago Infrastructure Trust is launching a new initiative that could lead to private financing for the installation of combined heat and power systems in some public buildings.

Chicago City Treasurer and former public finance banker Stephanie Neely is stepping down from the elected post to return to the private sector.

Chicago's general obligation bond ratings will remain pressured until the city fully fixes its pension mess, top city finance officials told alderman, while warning City Council not to expect to use reserves to ease the pain of a coming $550 million pension spike.

Standard & Poor's dropped Higginsville, Missouri's 2010 sewerage system revenue bonds down three notches to the lowest investment grade level Wednesday over its weakened fiscal position.

Illinois closed out the first quarter of fiscal 2015 with its bill backlog holding steady at nearly $5 billion, state Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka reported in her office's monthly update.

Wisconsin closed out its last fiscal year with a $517 million undesignated ending balance, the Department of Administration reported Wednesday in the state's annual fiscal report for fiscal 2014.

The Alta Group's Bob Neptune will receive the 2014 Jay Terry Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Governmental Leasing & Finance at its national conference next month.

Moody's Investor’s Service returned Vadnais Heights, Minn.'s general obligation bonds to low investment grade, now that a resolution is in place on $27 million of bonds that defaulted after the city failed to honor a pledge on a sports complex.

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority unveiled a preliminary 2015 budget Wednesday that relies on as much as $800 million of toll-backed borrowing to support $1.6 billion in capital spending.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed erasing $300 million of red ink by raising parking and leasing taxes, expected savings, and cuts in a 2015 budget that delays tackling a $550 million pension reckoning.

Stricken by cancer, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis won't try to unseat Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in next year's mayoral contest.

Investors holding $113 million of bonds issued for the privately owned and operated Branson Airport in Missouri have agreed to a amended forbearance agreement that gives the struggling Ozarks air field more time to pick up operations.