Yvette Shields

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.

The independent Minnesota-based financial advisory firm Ehlers expanded its Chicago presence by hiring of Jennifer M. Tammen and Adrienne J. Archia in its Lisle, Ill., office.

The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority has selected Barclays and Goldman Sachs as bookrunning senior managers on a refunding deal it hopes to sell in June.

Kansas City International Airport should build a new state-of-the-art central terminal to replace its existing three, a special mayoral advisory group recommended Wednesday.

Indiana and Illinois have finalized a bi-state development pact for the proposed Illiana Corridor toll road that commits the two states to a combined funding contribution of up to $350 million.

Missouri's Republican-led Legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a $620 million tax relief package, ignoring his warnings that it could jeopardize the state's top credit marks.