Midwest

Cook County began imposing a $25 tax on all firearms starting Monday as part of the county’s 2013 budget.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has invited Chicago to submit its formal application for a $100 million TIFIA loan to help finance completion of the Chicago Riverwalk.

Saginaw County, Mich. will become the first in the state to take advantage of a new law when it to comes to market next month with up to $75 million of pension obligation bonds.

Just days after Moody's boosted its outlook to positive, Fitch Ratings Tuesday upgraded Michigan to AA from AA-minus and Standard & Poor's lifted its outlook to positive from stable.

With nearly $500 million in spring transportation projects planned, Illinois will sell $800 million of debt Tuesday after a two-month delay in the state's first bond offering of the year.

Fitch Ratings downgraded nearly $5.9 billion of Detroit water and sewer department revenue bonds two notches but they remain in triple-B investment grade territory.

Detroit activists filed a federal lawsuit against the state's new emergency management law Thursday, the same day the new law took effect.

Moody's Investors Service boosted Aa2 Michigan's outlook to positive, saying the state is rebuilding its reserves and should be able to withstand pressure from troubled local governments.

With its ratings intact, CoxHealth in Missouri next week enters the market with a mostly new-money sale for about $200 million to help finance a major expansion at its main healthcare campus.

The Wisconsin Department of Administration announced Wednesday the hiring of Kevin D. Taylor to fill the position of capital finance director left vacant by Frank Hoadley's retirement.