Southeast

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled a conference for Jan. 13 at which the panel will decide whether to allow former Jefferson County Commissioner Larry Langford’s appeal to go forward.

The Birmingham City Council will meet in the next two weeks to work on plans to ask voter approval for a $75 million general obligation bond issue, according to the Birmingham News.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued a Georgia attorney and his client for securities fraud over their failure to disclose the client's criminal indictment in bond documents for $2.96 million of industrial redevelopment revenue bonds sold by Raleigh County, W. Va., in 2006 and 2007 that are now in default.

Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority to A3 from A2.

Louisiana Attorney General James Caldwell filed a federal suit last week in the District of Columbia to overturn a change in offshore oil royalty rules that could require the state to repay royalties and cut its anticipated future royalties.

The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board last week adopted a capital improvement plan that calls for more than $3 billion of projects through 2021.

Former Jefferson County Commissioner Larry Langford wants the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his conviction.

Federal Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Bennett has ordered that an automatic stay associated with Jefferson County's bankruptcy will remain in effect through midnight Jan. 6.

The Internal Revenue Service is auditing $800 million of hospital revenue bonds that were issued by the South Miami, Fla., Health Facilities Authority in May 2007 to finance projects for affiliates of Baptist Health South Florida and to refund previously issued bonds.

A Birmingham, Ala., agency has closed on $64 million in bank loans that were privately placed due to concern that the recent bankruptcy of Jefferson County would make it difficult to seek financing in the bond market.