Pennsylvania

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.

Dire warnings about the future of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission based on a $450 million-per-year infrastructure payment requirement are overstated, according to a research report.

Gloria Martin-Roberts is the latest Harrisburg City Council member to announce her candidacy for state representative in the 103rd Legislative District.

"Questionable practices" regarding the financings of the incinerator retrofit project in Harrisburg, Pa., merit a further investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission, the attorney for the City Council said in a report issued Friday.

Pennsylvania, when its lawmakers convene next week, looks to become the latest state to consider issuing bonds to pay for billions of dollars in debt related to unemployment benefits.