Alabama

BRADENTON, Fla. — Birmingham, Ala., welcomes new Mayor William Bell to office on Tuesday, which leaves a vacancy on the Jefferson County Commission as it continues to cope with $3.2 billion of troubled sewer debt.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Alabama federal judge Scott Coogler Tuesday denied former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford’s motion for a new trial.

Jefferson County commissioner ­William Bell became mayor of Birmingham Tuesday with 54% of the vote, defeating lawyer Patrick Cooper.

A federal judge in Birmingham Monday delayed the sentencing of Montgomery bond dealer William Blount and Alabama lobbyist Albert LaPierre. Both men pleaded guilty last year to pay-to-play charges related to Jefferson County’s troubled sewer debt and were scheduled to be sentenced today.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Standard & Poor’s yesterday affirmed its A-minus rating, with a stable outlook, on the Prichard Waterworks and Sewer Board in Alabama.

Voters in Birmingham went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new mayor but a crowded field of more than a dozen candidates on the ballot resulted in a runoff to be held Jan. 19 between Patrick Cooper, an attorney who led with 40% of the ballots cast, and Jefferson County commissioner William Bell, who took 25% of votes.

A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for Dec. 8 to consider a motion for relief sought by 50 retirees who are suing the city of Prichard, which filed for municipal bankruptcy in October.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Saying that Jefferson County, Ala.’s sewer debt crisis has gone on too long, a grassroots organization of business leaders is trying raise public support to press local politicians and the county’s creditors for a solution.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Cullman County, Ala., Health Care Authority tomorrow plans to issue $75 million of fixed-rate revenue refunding bonds and pay a swap termination fee to restructure its debt portfolio.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Jefferson County, Ala. on Friday filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan, Blount Parrish & Co., Charles LeCroy, Douglas MacFaddin, Larry Langford, William Blount, and Albert LaPierre for their roles in the county’s $3.2 billion of troubled sewer refinancings and swaps

BRADENTON, Fla. — Former Jefferson County, Ala., commissioner Mary Buckelew will serve no prison time for lying to a grand jury about expensive gifts and spa treatments she received to influence her vote in connection with $3.2 billion of debt and swaps sold for the county’s sewer system.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Former Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford has filed a motion for new trial on pay-to-play charges and requested that the judge set aside his conviction because, among other reasons, the jury didn’t deliberate long enough.

WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission announced yesterday that it has settled securities fraud and other charges against JPMorgan Securities Inc. and is pursuing charges against two of the firm’s former managing directors, Charles LeCroy and Douglas MacFaddin, in connection with muni bond and swap transactions done with Jefferson County, Ala.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley Friday announced the allocation of the first half of $236 million of qualified school construction bonds to help 46 school systems that applied to the program to finance the construction or repair of public school buildings.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Birmingham’s current budget is underfunded by $20 million, the new acting mayor announced yesterday in a disclosure that could lead to a review of the Alabama city’s double-A credit rating.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Birmingham, Ala., finance director Steve Sayler resigned late Monday, a city official confirmed.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Burdened by millions in unfunded pension obligations, Prichard, Ala., on Tuesday filed notice in federal court of its intention to enter Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy — for a second time.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Larry Langford, convicted on 60 bond-related corruption felony charges late Wednesday, was removed from office as Birmingham’s mayor.

BRADENTON, Fla. — ­Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford was convicted on 60 federal charges, nearly all related to his tenure as president of the Jefferson County Commission when $3.2 billion of sewer debt was refinanced.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The pay-to-play corruption trial of Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford began last Monday in Tuscaloosa, and before the week ended two of the government’s star witnesses described their roles in bribing Langford while he was president of the Jefferson County commission.