Southwest

State aid to Arkansas school districts must go up to keep pace with inflation, the Bureau of Legislative Research said.

Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner is to appear at a legislative committee to face questions about purchases and sales from the state's investment bond portfolio.

George K. Baum & Co. expands in Texas with a new Dallas office headed by former RBC Capital Markets managing director Gary Machak and former Raymond James banker Barton Withrow.

Baseball backers in El Paso, Texas bought a minor league team to play in the downtown stadium to be built on the current site of City Hall if voters approve a hotel tax increase.

Moody's extended its watch list period for a possible downgrade of the New Mexico Finance Authority as the agency continues to investigate a phony audit.

An invigorated private sector in Kansas created by recent state tax cuts will overcome a feared drop in state aid to local school districts, Gov. Sam Brownback said Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority hired Keith T. Parker away from the VIA transit agency in San Antonio to be its new general manager and CEO.

Kim Edwards, former Fidelity Investments vice president for municipal finance, has joined Piper Jaffray as senior vice president for the public finance office in Austin.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport will complete nearly $1 billion of refinancing for 2012 with a $301 million deal scheduled to price next week.

West Coast nonprofit hospital chain Dignity Health, formerly Catholic Healthcare West, was downgraded ahead of plans to sell up to $500 million in taxable bonds.