Southwest

Kansas Legislature must increase state aid to local schools after a Shawnee County District Court said the current level is unconstitutionally low.

The Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission said last week it would support a bond issue of up to $65 million to renovate the city’s aging music hall.

A proposed $500 million freeway in northern Pulaski County could be funded through tolls under a plan being studied by the state and the regional planning authority.

The Texas Department of Transportation needs $4 billion from the current session of the state legislature to keep up with infrastructure needs in the rapidly growing state, officials said.

Texas colleges and universities are seeking $3.6 billion of bond authority under a bill introduced by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini. Requests for tuition revenue bonds in the previous session failed amid deep budget cuts.

El Paso, Texas, will file a bond validation lawsuit in state district court seeking an OK for its plans to issue $50.4 million of bonds for a downtown baseball stadium.

In a case with implications for the bond industry, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling could send water flowing from Oklahoma to Texas after years of battles over interstate pipelines in the drought-prone region.

Local school districts in Texas need another $1 billion from the state to pay their bills, said Shirley Beaulieu, CFO for the Texas Education Agency.

Texas lawmakers will have $101.4 billion available for their legislative session that begins Tuesday, a 12.4% increase over the previous two-year period that brought painful reductions in education spending.

Arizona State University plans to issue $112 million of revenue bonds in a deal that comes a week before the Arizona Legislature convenes to consider education spending measures.