Midwest

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing last week unveiled a public-private partnership to tackle demolition of the countless vacant and blighted buildings across the city.

The board of Wayne State University last week approved a plan to sell $92 million of general revenue bonds this spring to finance new construction, including a new building in Detroit.

Local governments in Illinois would face tougher disclosure requirements on their debt and retiree costs under proposals announced by House Republicans designed to improve public access to the information.

Indiana lawmakers this week began debate on a new two-year budget that's cushioned with a $2 billion surplus, strong revenues, and low debt.

The former comptroller of a small Illinois city faces nearly 20 years in prison under the sentence handed down by a federal judge following her conviction for stealing more than $53 million from city coffers over two decades.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Friday his next two-year budget will provide an $824 million boost in transportation infrastructure funding.

With the threat of an emergency manager hanging over Detroit, Mayor Dave Bing said the city is making progress despite its fiscal problems during an optimistic state of the city address.

Chicago's plans to enter the market later this year with up to $900 million of O'Hare International Airport revenue debt to raise about $300 million for the airport's capital improvement program and ongoing $8 billion runway expansion program.

Ohio Thursday holds a competitive sale to refund $267 million of general obligation school bonds to achieve interest-rate savings, and will return to market in two weeks with $135M of new money.

Chicago has struck a tentative collective bargaining agreement with one of its smaller unions that includes pension benefit and retiree healthcare reforms that Mayor Rahm Emanuel characterized Tuesday as a possible roadmap to help solve the city's pension crisis.