Midwest

Moody's Investors Service last week downgraded its underlying rating to Baa1 from A2 on Northeast Ohio Medical University.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers announced legislation last week that would raise the state sales tax by one cent with the aim of raising $8 billion over the next decade for transportation projects.

Long-time Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson – recovering from an August car accident in which he was seriously injured -- said the triple-A county was starting to rebound from the Great Recession.

The Indiana Motor Speedway would be able to issue up to $100 million of bonds backed by a new pledge of state taxes under a bill set to be debated Thursday.

Illinois will provide $250 million in low-interest loans to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago as part of its expanded $1 billion state revolving fund, Gov. Pat Quinn announced Monday.

Refunding opportunities fueled a 36.3% surge in bond issuance among Midwestern borrowers last year as the steadfastly conservative region shied away from adding new debt in favor of shoring up balance sheets.

The public agency that owns the Edward Jones Dome — home of the National Football League's St. Louis Rams — has tapped Goldman Sachs to advise it on stadium finance issues.

Nebraska lawmakers last week heard hours of testimony – most of it critical – on Gov. Dave Heineman's plan to eliminate the state's income tax and replace it with a broader sales tax base.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed supplemental fiscal 2013 budget legislation that authorizes $1.5 billion in spending for transportation, group health insurance payments, and for an array of other areas.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Thursday presented a $51 billion all-funds 2014 budget that would raise fuel and registration taxes to support $1.2 billion of new annual infrastructure funding, expand Medicaid and boost education spending.