Northeast

The City Council in financially strapped Harrisburg is considering a series of bills to increase parking revenue.

Standard & Poor’s raised its rating on Cortland, N.Y.’s general obligation debt to BBB-plus from BBB, based on its assessment of the city’s estimated performance for fiscal 2010, coupled with structural changes.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners advanced a capacity planning study that will deal with the five airports under its jurisdiction.

New York City sold $739 million of taxable and tax-exempt new money and reoffered general obligation bonds last week.

Standard & Poor’s raised its underlying rating on various bonds issued by the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority for Saint Barnabas Corp. to BBB from BBB-minus.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy will host an economic summit on Thursday with an eye toward legislative proposals for a special session of the General Assembly on Oct. 26.

Moody's Investors Service late Thursday downgraded the general obligation rating of North Providence, R.I., to Baa2 from Baa1. The outlook remains negative.

While Pennsylvania lawmakers are crafting a state takeover of Harrisburg, officials in the financially strapped capital aren't giving up control without a fight.

The capital program is the "front and center challenge" for New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, outgoing chairman Jay Walder said Wednesday.

Two Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday began fast-tracking legislation that would enable a takeover of capital city Harrisburg and authorize Gov. Tom Corbett to declare a state of emergency.