Yvette Shields

St. Louis-based Webster University received one-notch rating upgrades ahead of its recent new-money and refunding sale for $61 million.

The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board last week denied applications from two competing hospital systems seeking to build new facilities in the growing region north of Chicago in McHenry County.

Moody's Investors Service last week downgraded Northwest Community Hospital's rating one notch to A1 due to its weakened financial performance.

The managers of Chicago's Navy Pier last week unveiled a proposed $155 million framework for a makeover of the popular downtown attraction that includes plans for a hotel, new retail shops, restaurants, and expansions of the city's Children's Museum and Shakespeare Theater.

CHICAGO - Attorneys for state retirees in Colorado and Minnesota are weighing whether to appeal court decisions last week dismissing litigation that challenged legislative cuts to pension cost-of-living hikes but fear that such rulings will "embolden" other cash-strapped states eying ways to ease pension costs.

CHICAGO - After vetoing $376 million in spending approved by lawmakers, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn late Thursday signed into law a $32.99 billion budget for fiscal 2012 that carries over more than $8 billion of unpaid obligations into the new fiscal year.

CHICAGO — Chicago could shore up its balance sheet by cutting employees, reducing future retirement benefits, slicing the City Council in half, and resurrecting efforts to lease Midway Airport, according to a new report from a Chicago-based government research group.

CHICAGO — With the start of a new fiscal year looming, Iowa lawmakers moved towards adjourning late Wednesday or Thursday after hashing out differences on spending in a new budget while talks continued among Minnesota officials seeking to stave off a government shutdown.

CHICAGO - A few years after picking up and moving from Chicago, where he worked for a major accounting firm, to settle in a small Colorado town, W. Martin "Wally" Morics was itching for more of a challenge.

Gov. Scott Walker signed Wisconsin's new, two-year $66 billion budget into law on Sunday after using his veto pen on 50 items. He mostly left intact the budget passed earlier this month, which closely resembled his original plan that dealt with a $3 billion deficit primarily with cuts.

St. Louis saw strong demand among institutional buyers for its $30 million refunding last week of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport revenue bonds and achieved 4.6% in net present-value savings, city Comptroller Darlene Green said.

The newly merged Central DuPage Health-Delnor Health System last week announced the appointment of Brett Tande to be its vice president and treasurer. He left the private sector where he was a health care banker to join the new system this past spring.

CHICAGO – A federal jury convicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on 17 of 20 counts leveled against him by prosecutors in a two-month-old corruption retrial, finding him guilty of trying to use his office to enrich his campaign coffers and profit from his pick to fill the Senate seat held by President Obama.

The Regional Transportation Authority of Illinois will take competitive bids Tuesday on $100 million of general obligation refunding bonds and in a separate transaction will further tap its commercial paper program as it awaits nearly $400 million in overdue state aid payments.

CHICAGO - The University of Missouri Board of Curators will enter the market next week with $60 million of refunding system facilities revenue bonds as itgrapples with a steeper-than-expected cut in state aid made by Gov. Jay Nixon earlier this month.

CHICAGO - Wisconsin plans to take competitive bids July 6 on $800 million of operating notes that will help the state smooth out its cash-flow needs.

CHICAGO — The Illinois General Assembly during a special session Wednesday approved an $18 billion fiscal 2012 capital bill, reauthorizing spending for billions of dollars in projects now underway or in the works, and putting to rest concerns over a threatened suspension issued by Gov. Pat Quinn earlier this month.

CHICAGO - The University of Illinois Thursday will refund outstanding debt and raise new money for the ongoing makeover of a major student housing complex that comes as Illinois' flagship public university has scaled back on capital plans amid ongoing delinquencies in state support.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the city of Burlington's sewer revenue bonds one notch to A1 ahead of a planned sale this week of $5.3 million.

Moody's Investors Service has upgraded by one notch to Aa2 its rating on Mettawa's general obligation debt due to the village's healthy financial position. The action comes ahead of a planned sale this week of $1.9 million of bonds.