Yvette was a senior reporter, covering the Midwest. She earned a bachelors in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, began her reporting career at the storied City News Bureau of Chicago, and joined the Bond Buyer in 1997 leading Midwest coverage from her hometown Chicago.
- Wisconsin
CHICAGO – Wisconsin enters the market as soon as Wednesday with about $365 million of general obligation refunding bonds designed to capture both traditional interest-rate savings and to accomplish a debt restructuring for budgetary relief.
February 21 - Missouri
CHICAGO — Missouri economic development officials and financial firms failed to conduct adequate due diligence on an artificial sweetener project in Moberly, lawmakers concluded in a report issued last week after a series of hearings probing the now abandoned, bond-financed project.
February 21 -
Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Heartland Regional Medical Center’s underlying rating by one notch to A1, citing strong operating profitability.
February 21 - Illinois
Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s housing bond program to Aa3 from A1 in recognition of its strong financial position reflected in an asset-to-debt ratio of 149%.
February 21 -
Fitch Ratings recently upgraded the debt of Illinois’ Regional Transportation Authority to AA as part of its review of tax-supported debt enterprises with an increased focus on operating risk and other factors.
February 21 - Illinois
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn last week announced the award of $623 million in state funds for school district projects.
February 21 -
CHICAGO — Strapped for traditional funding to renovate one of its aging light-rail lines, the Chicago Transit Authority has hired Goldman, Sachs & Co. and two other firms as advisors to explore alternative financing options, including a public-private partnership.
February 17 - Wisconsin
Wisconsin-based Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has hired public finance attorney Gregory Tears for its Milwaukee office as part of the firm's ongoing effort to rebuild its bond counsel and underwriters' counsel business.
February 17 - Illinois
Chicago finance officials submitted to the City Council bond ordinances seeking approval to sell more than $3 billion of new-money and refunding general obligation, water revenue, and O'Hare International Airport debt this spring.
February 15 -
Chicago-based Mesirow Financial Inc. has named senior managing director Dominick Mondi president of its fixed-income capital markets division, a new position established to better coordinate the work of the institutional sales and trading, public finance, and credit tenant-lease finance groups.
February 15 -
CHICAGO — The Illinois Finance Authority on Tuesday advanced St. Louis-based Ascension Health Alliance's plans to issue up to $600 million of new-money and refunding debt tied primarily to its recent acquisition of Alexian Brothers Health System in suburban Chicago.
February 14 -
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon last week said any plan to implement tolls on Interstate 70 to fund its rebuilding should go before voters.
February 14 - Minnesota
Ramsey County last week released a revised plan for a new Minnesota Vikings professional football stadium that relies on parking revenue, naming rights, an admission fee and hospitality taxes to cover its $300 million share of the $1.1 billion price tag.
February 14 - Iowa
Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded Davenport, Iowa’s general obligation bond rating one notch to Aa2 ahead of its sale of $31.3 million of new debt.
February 14 - Illinois
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle last week said the two governments saved $20.5 million by collaborating in some areas over the last six months of 2011.
February 14 - Missouri
CHICAGO — With Kansas City, Mo., set to exhaust its voter-approved general obligation bonding authority with an issue next month, Mayor Sly James is hoping to win City Council and voter support for as much as $1 billion of new authority for infrastructure improvements over the next decade.
February 13 -
CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's finance team will introduce to the City Council this week an ordinance seeking approval to refund up to $1.75 billion of O'Hare International Airport general airport revenue bonds and passenger facility charge bonds for savings.
February 10 -
IllinoisCHICAGO — Chicago-based Loop Capital Markets LLC has opened a public finance office in Little Rock, Ark., the first in a series of new regions it hopes to establish a presence in this year as it extends its reach from major metropolitan areas to smaller urban markets.
February 9 -
CHICAGO — Missouri transportation officials are seeking legislative authority to turn Interstate 70 into a toll road to fund a $2 billion to $4 billion rebuilding and expansion of the aging highway, possibly through a pubic-private partnership.
February 8 - Missouri
Nearly nine months after a devastating tornado wrecked its high school and destroyed or damaged nine other facilities, the Joplin School District in Missouri voted this week to ask voters for $62 million of borrowing authority to cover its share of a $185 million rebuilding program.
February 7
