Southwest

A sentencing recommendation of 15 years in prison for former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner prompts an objection from her lawyer.

Austin Energy, one of the 10 largest public utilities in the nation, will offer the market $435 million of bonds backed by system revenues as it keeps seeking environmentally friendly power sources.

After winning final passage in the Colorado House, a bill providing nearly $10 billion of pension bonds for the state retirement system must clear the Senate in two days.

Texas Rep. Joe Pickett’s bill that could provide more than $3 billion in general sales tax revenue to non-tolled highways won approval in the House.

Kansas revenues fell $4.4 million below expectations in April, the state Department of Revenue reported as state lawmakers returned to Topeka to complete the budget for the coming fiscal year.

Pension obligation bonds are land mines municipal issuers should avoid, according to Janney Capital Markets.

Two bills that passed in the Texas Senate would increase funds to shield military bases from the next round of closures or help them convert to civilian uses.

The Port of Beaumont Navigation District that ranks as the largest shipping point for U.S. military cargo gets a Moody’s Investors Service downgrade to A3 from A2 based on recent negative revenue trends.

In a rare unanimous vote, the Texas House passed the first sales tax reduction in the state’s history as part of $4.9 billion of tax cuts, veering away from the Senate’s property tax relief.

Bondholders for a failed private jail would receive about 55 cents on the dollar under a proposed sale of the $35.4 million lockup to Burnet County, Texas, according to a trustee's disclosure.