Virginia

BRADENTON, Fla. — The PFM Group has hired a veteran municipal finance professional in Virginia to open the firm's new office in Richmond.

WASHINGTON — A key Virginia lawmaker is sponsoring legislation that would raise nearly $1 billion annually for infrastructure through gas and sales taxes, after warning of a severe budget shortfall for road maintenance near the nation's capital and complaining the governor's transportation plan is only "a drop in the bucket,"

BRADENTON, Fla. — Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Wednesday laid out his legislative agenda to a joint session of the General Assembly, saying he would focus more spending on education, transportation and underfunded pensions.

Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell Monday outlined his biennial budget for fiscal 2013-14, which includes enhancing reserves to protect the state's gilt-edge ratings and additional funds to help insulate the state against cuts in federal revenue.

For the second year in a row, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell plans an aggressive strategy to keep the state's transportation projects moving forward at a fast clip.

Gov. Bob McDonnell said Virginia posted a 3.9% revenue increase in September, making it the 18th month out of the last 19 in which revenue exceeded the previous year’s collections.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Gilt-edged Virginia is poised to sell $167 million of state general obligation bonds, split for the first time between the negotiated and competitive calendars in a two-way sale that should tap the most retail investors and some of the lowest rates.

Moody’s Investors Service Tuesday downgraded Mary Washington Healthcare’s rating to Baa1 from A3.

WASHINGTON - Virginia is using a public-private partnership to put another tunnel under the Elizabeth River between Norfolk and Portsmouth. Including improvements to existing tunnels and some surface road building, the project is budgeted at $1.9 billion.

WASHINGTON - The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board of directors did a turnaround on Wednesday and voted 11 to 1 to approve the construction of an above-ground station for the metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is proposing to reduce the cost of the $3.8 billion metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport by having Loudoun and Fairfax counties in Virginia pay for parking garages and a station with federal assistance.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors agreed to ask voters in November to approve the issuance of $169.62 million of general obligation bonds.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Virginia's gilt-edged Arlington County will sell $127 million of general obligation public improvement bonds beginning Monday using a three-day sale structure.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has scheduled a second meeting with local officials in Virginia for Friday as he tries to break an impasse over the cost of the second phase of the Washington, D.C., Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport.

WASHINGTON — Loudoun County, Va., is looking at the possible impact of withdrawing its funding for the Washington, D.C., Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport.

WASHINGTON — U.S. and Virginia lawmakers are ramping up pressure on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to reverse an April decision that approved an expensive, underground metro station at the Dulles International Airport as part of the agency’s $6.6 billion Metrorail extension project.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Two Virginia issuers that plan to price a combined $806 million of double-A rated tax-exempt bonds early next week should find plenty of investors to snap up the high-grade paper, according to market participants.

BRADENTON, Fla. — A massive overhaul of Virginia’s transportation program will enable the state over the next three years to fund $4 billion of road, rail, and transit projects supported by increased bonding capacity and new financing programs.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Kutak Rock LLP has added Charles Shimer and George Scruggs as of counsel in the firm’s Richmond, Va., office.

WASHINGTON — Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell touted his $4 billion transportation spending plan ­Wednesday during a state of the commonwealth speech in which the Republican reaffirmed his intention to privatize state liquor stores and proposed a state employee contribution plan to ­reduce the retirement pension ­liability.