Far West

U.S. President Barack Obama signed a Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance on Nov. 3 to provide financial aid to the small Hawaii town of Pahoa threatened by a slow-moving lava flow.

Charter school giant KIPP School's announcement that it would more than double its Los Angeles enrolment by 2020 is a credit negative for Los Angeles Unified School District, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Debate over who would benefit from a Hawaii constitutional amendment expanding the definition of special purpose revenue bonds originally aimed at preserving agricultural land has heated up in the final weeks leading up to the election.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today sanctioned 13 firms for improperly selling Puerto Rico bonds in denominations below a $100,000 minimum denomination set in a $3.5 billion offering earlier this year.

Spokane, Wash.'s airport has been downgraded to A2 from A2 by Moody's Investors Service.

While the judge's ruling in Stockton, Calif.'s bankruptcy case did not provide a precedent for dealing with pension obligations in Chapter 9, it did provide a "roadmap" for other municipalities that may want to cut pensions, one expert said.

A new guide from AASHTO examines current revenue sources and potential options for bolstering the Highway Trust Fund, including fees based on vehicle miles traveled.

Most states are likely to have more new capacity to issue private-activity bonds in 2015 than they did this year, after the Internal Revenue Service raised the minimum state volume and maintained this year's per capita rate.

If approved by voters, two initiatives in next week's California election could have an impact on the state budget, water credits and school districts, Fitch Ratings says.

The Bond Dealers of America is suggesting a change to the way dealers would get affirmations from sophisticated municipal market professionals under the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board's proposed amendments to its rule governing interactions with those market participants to whom dealers owe fewer duties.