Ohio

Fitch Ratings downgraded $9.3 million of Toledo Lucas County Port Authority special-assessment bonds to D after the issuer missed two principal payments.

Ohio State University approved a final $483 million concession agreement to lease its parking system for 50 years to QIC Global Infrastructure and LAZ Parking.

A Franklin County appeals court last week dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block JobsOhio, a new private nonprofit firm that seeks to purchase Ohio’s liquor distribution system for $1.2 billion.

CHICAGO — Ohio State University on Friday is expected to tap a private investor that has offered $483 million in cash to take over the school’s parking system for 50 years in a deal that would make OSU the first public university to privatize such an asset.

CHICAGO — Kent State University will come to market Thursday with $170 million of new-money bonds that will raise funds for a large capital plan at the school's main campus in Kent, Ohio.

CHICAGO — The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is bringing $41.7 million of highly rated sales-tax-backed bonds to market Thursday.

CHICAGO — The Ohio Department of Transportation is taking bids from firms interested in advertising at its Interstate rest stops and welcome areas to help raise funds to whittle down a $1.6 billion budget hole that officials say will delay projects for years.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich last week reiterated his plan to continue to cut aid to local governments despite a recent climb in state tax collections.

Democrats last week appointed former state treasurer and public finance banker Kevin Boyce to the Ohio House of Representatives.

CHICAGO ­— Buoyed by strong revenue collections heading into a new fiscal year, Ohio will issue $303 million of general obligation bonds in a competitive sale set for next Wednesday to raise money for school projects.

Ohio has collected $350 million more than expected for the first 10 months of fiscal 2012, officials said this week.

CHICAGO — Lancaster Pollard & Co., an Ohio-based boutique investment banking firm that specializes in health care, senior living, and affordable housing transactions, has hired Craig Jones,a senior-living finance veteran to help the firm begin to expand its taxable business.

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded to A3 from A2 Kettering Health Network’s $408 million of outstanding bonds.

The Ohio House Finance and Appropriation Committee this week will hold the first in a series of meetings on the state’s school funding formula.

CHICAGO — With an estimated $153 million surplus heading into fiscal 2013, top Republican lawmakers in Ohio are debating whether to spend it or save it.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Federal Highway Administration Friday approved a supplemental environmental impact statement that is a significant milestone toward starting construction on portions of the $2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges Project later this year.

CHICAGO — Indiana is bracing for the loss of up to $300 million of annual revenue as neighboring Ohio prepares to open four new high-profile casinos in major cities later this year.

Moody’s Investors Service last week upgraded Ohio’s Columbus Regional Airport Authority to A1 from A2 based on its stable financial and operating performance, among other factors.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich Monday signed into law a $1.74 billion, two-year capital bill, the state’s first new capital budget since 2009.

The board of Kent State University approved a plan to issue $170 million of bonds to finance a large capital improvement plan. The debt will be general-receipts bonds with a 30-year maturity.