Southeast

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin approved the state budget for the next two fiscal years, which cuts agency and education funding to address a portion of the state’s massively underfunded pensions.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory recommended a 2.8% increase in state spending for fiscal 2017 as part of the $54.6 billion budget he submitted to lawmakers Wednesday.

State budget conditions vary widely as of late fiscal 2016, with the overall picture getting better while states with less diversified economies face significant stress, Standard & Poor's said Wednesday.

West Palm Beach, Fla.’s plan to borrow $60 million in taxable bonds to boost its already 83% funded police pension plan received divergent views from market experts.

Kentucky’s Attorney General Andy Beshear has asked the Executive Branch Ethics Commission to probe improprieties of public corruption alleged by Gov. Matt Bevin.

Florida bond director Ben Watkins does not believe public-private partnerships that include private financing benefit the public sector, but P3 proponents disagree.

California is the least prepared to weather a recession of the four most populous states, according to a Moody’s Investors Service fiscal stress test.

Hillview, Ky., has filed a motion to dismiss its Chapter 9 bankruptcy case based on a settlement with a creditor that Moody's Investors Service said may prove unaffordable for the small city south of Louisville.

West Virginia took a one-notch Standard & Poor’s downgrade, stemming largely from sharply reduced demand for coal products. Its GO bond rating is now AA-minus.

It will take time to repair Louisiana’s structural budget imbalance but the state is committed to resolving its challenges, Gov. John Bel Edwards said at the National Municipal Bond Summit.