Midwest

Joe Ferguson, who served as Chicago's inspector general under three mayoral administrations, replaces Laurence Msall, who died earlier this year.

The Plan of Action for Regional Transit asks lawmakers for $1.5 billion of new operating support for transit and at least $400 million annually of complementary capital investments.

The weakness came as the new-issue calendar grew to $5.9 billion with the addition of a $900 million refunding deal from the Illinois State Highway Toll Highway Authority slated for Thursday. Bond Buyer 30-day visible supply sits at $6.95 billion.

The top five bond financings have an average dollar volume of more than $1 billion.

The city of Chicago and its Sales Tax Securitization Corporation won The Bond Buyer's 22nd annual Deal of the Year award for its $1.7 billion financing that addressed initiatives related to affordable housing, homelessness support services, environmental justice, and community development.

A new deal with Microsoft may help fill the void left by the underperformance of a Wisconsin incentive deal to lure Foxconn to the village of Mount Pleasant.

The City Colleges of Chicago is planning to issue $201 million in unlimited tax GO refunding bonds, bolstered by an upgrade and a new positive rating outlook.

Moody's Investors Service revised its outlook to positive from stable and affirmed its Aa1 issuer and general obligation unlimited tax bond ratings on the city.

Moody's, which last rated the state triple-A in 1979, pointed to an economy that's "poised for diversification and growth."