Yvette Shields

The president and chief executive officer of the company that operates a controversial mostly bond-financed Midwestern coal plant has resigned and a national search for a replacement is planned.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's plan to make an expiring income tax permanent has just a little more than half the votes needed to clear the Illinois House with the clock ticking on the legislative session.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed legislation authorizing $1.1 billion in mostly bond-financed infrastructure spending and extending the state's ability to do negotiated bond sales for four years.

Two former Minneapolis-based Northland Securities veterans have returned to the firm to bolster its education work.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn lacks the House votes needed to win approval of his plan to make an expiring tax increase permanent, despite a lengthy lobbying session with fellow Democrats.

Illinois lawmakers head into their final two-week stretch, and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn plans to press his case with House Democrats for making an expiring temporary income tax permanent.

Missouri lawmakers wrapped up a busy 2014 session after passing income tax relief and overriding a veto, adopting a new fiscal 2015 budget, authorizing $600 million in borrowing, and sending to the ballot a sales tax hike for transportation.

The boards of two Illinois-based systems — Cadence Health and Northwestern Memorial HealthCare — on Thursday agreed to join forces.

Illinois acted within its sovereign authority when it passed last year's pension reforms given its precarious fiscal condition and the size of its unfunded pension obligations.

The Minnesota Legislature on Friday approved a $1 billion package of capital projects primarily financed with general obligation borrowing.

Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's weighed in Thursday saying an Illinois judge's decision to temporarily halt implementation of the state's pension overhaul during a legal challenge does not pose an immediate credit concern.

The Minnesota House was expected to vote on a $1.1 billion capital budget that primarily relies on general obligation borrowing.

A sales tax hike in Missouri to bolster transportation funding is headed to the November ballot.

An Illinois state court judge on Wednesday agreed to temporarily halt the June 1 effective date of state pension overhaul legislation passed last December.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission hits the market next week with a $900 million refunding as it awaits legislative word on whether a sales tax hike to ease its funding crunch will go to voters this fall.

Moody's Investors Service has revised its outlook on Iowa-based St. Anthony Regional Hospital's Baa2 rating to negative.

Standard & Poor's dropped Centegra Health System in Illinois' rating by one level to BBB ahead of its nearly $200 million sale of debt through a public offering and direct bank placements.

Construction on the $1.8 billion partially bond-financed Iowa Fertilizer Co. project is slightly behind schedule due to the harsh winter but the project is making "timely progress" and commodity price expectations remain on target, according to Fitch Ratings.

A declining number of Midwestern high school graduates is adding to already highly competitive environment further straining the region's small colleges, according to Moody's Investors Service.

The University of Missouri Board of Curators will offer up high-grade paper early next week in a nearly $300 million revenue-backed issue to refund existing debt and pay off commercial paper.