Pennsylvania

The Harrisburg Authority public-works agency has authorized chairman Marc Kurowski and interim executive director Shannon Williams to explore selling authority-owned historical artifacts through the same auction house that is selling similar items the city of Harrisburg, Pa., owns, the Patriot-News reported.

Three Harrisburg citizens, including a former mayoral candidate, have requested a federal court to impose an emergency temporary injunction to halt the state-appointed receiver in Pennsylvania's capital city from implementing a financial recovery plan.

It could take two years to close the deal, but Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter favors selling the city's 175-year-old gas company if price and conditions are acceptable.

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania will hold a public hearing on receiver David Unkovic’s financial recovery plan for capital city Harrisburg on March 1.

Gov. Tom Corbett on Monday night signed a bill that lets Pennsylvania counties impose a fee on natural gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region.

The state-appointed receiver for financially ailing Harrisburg wants to close on the sale or lease of the city's two main assets by the end of June — the incinerator that's ground zero in the debt crisis in Pennsylvania's capital city, and its revenue-producing parking garages.

Harrisburg's receiver said that recovery for Pennsylvania's capital city starts with finding out how much cash upfront it can get for its assets.

Shortly after two of the top three credit rating agencies improved their outlooks for the city to stable from negative, Pittsburgh sold $114.5 million of general obligation bonds to provide funds for overdue capital improvement projects and save money through a refunding.

State-appointed receiver David Unkovic’s long-awaited financial plan for the struggling city of Harrisburg, Pa., is due Monday.

The attorney for the Harrisburg, Pa., City Council said he might appeal the latest federal rejection of its Chapter 9 bankruptcy petition.

The Pittsburgh City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a sale of $125 million in general obligation bonds. Officials say it’s the city’s largest bond ever, and the first new debt issued under Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

Moody’s Investors Service withdrew its rating for Lackawanna County, Pa., affecting $202.7 million of outstanding general obligation debt.

PFM Advisors, a division of PFM Asset Management, has named Biagio Manieri director of research.

Another player in the Harrisburg debt crisis intends to seek office.

Capital city Harrisburg’s incinerator debt crisis is on the radar of federal investigators, the Patriot-News reported.

Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Tom Corbett are debating what to do with Chester Upland's teetering school district, in a case that has drawn statewide and even national attention.

A forensic audit focusing on the incinerator bond deals largely responsible for driving Harrisburg into insolvency has prompted another request for federal investigations into the transactions.

William Rhodes became chairman of the public finance department at Ballard Spahr LLP, the Philadelphia law firm announced.

Philadelphia has lost $331 million in net interest payments and cancellation fees related to swaps, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center wrote in a report.

Harrisburg's City Council has delayed a vote on overriding mayor Linda Thompson's veto of the $54.3 million annual budget, citing a law that requires a three-day waiting period after the veto.