Southwest

State general fund tax collections topped $722 million in April, up from the $710 million expected, the Kansas Department of Revenue said last week.

The University of Arkansas will renovate six residential facilities and rebuild a fire-damaged fraternity house with $28.2 million of bonds approved last month by UA trustees.

DALLAS — The Texas Senate’s $176.5 billion budget bill remained stalled in legislative limbo Friday over resistance to proposed revenue increases and continuing calls to tap into the state’s $9 billion rainy-day fund.

DALLAS — Denver continues to cut costs associated with its $500 million South Terminal airport redevelopment project that will be financed with bonds.

DALLAS — Seeking to forestall default on $127 million of stadium bonds, the Harris County Houston Sports Authority is challenging a UBS Investment Bank demand for a $26.75 million swap termination fee issued last week.

DALLAS — The Maricopa County Community College District is surrounded by the economic troubles of the Phoenix metro area, but the 10-campus system will still carry top ratings into an upcoming $150 million issue of general obligation bonds.

The Texas Senate Finance Committee approved a two-year, $176.5 billion budget Thursday that could draw up to $3 billion from the state's rainy-day fund.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has closed its audit of $308 million of variable-rate bonds issued by Murray City, Utah, in a 2003 conduit health care transaction without any change to the bonds’ tax-exempt status.

DALLAS — The chairman of the Texas Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday proposed a constitutional amendment to take $2 billion from the $25 billion Permanent School Fund to help soften proposed reductions to state aid for public education.

DALLAS — San Antonio’s CPS Energy will remain a formal partner in expansion plans for the South Texas Project nuclear plant, even though major investor NRG Energy has backed out and the project is at a standstill.