News and Information from Bond Buyer

A judge gave the green light for Portland, Ore.'s Metro to issue bonds for a hotel project, but opponents say they will appeal the ruling.

A positive review of Rockland County's 2015 budget by the New York State Comptroller is a credit positive for the large suburban government following years of deterioration, Moody's Investors Service announced Friday.

In-state investments by the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds totaling more than $400 million are generating solid investment returns, state Treasurer Denise Nappier said.

A new Congressional Budget Office report mentioned eliminating the tax exemption for new qualified private-activity bonds as an option for reducing the federal deficit.

The municipal bond market took a breather on Friday as the primary was devoid of any new issuance and the secondary saw yields remain unchanged, according to Municipal Market Data.

Prince George's County, Md., signed 30-year P3 pact with Corvias for management of storm water runoff into Chesapeake Bay.

Illinois' landmark pension reform law is headed to the Illinois Supreme Court following a lower court decision Friday that the benefit cuts violate the state constitution.

Puerto Rico's unemployment rated declined to 14.0% in October from 14.1% in September, a sliver of hope for Puerto Rico's struggling economy.

The International Municipal Lawyers Association has filed a friend of the court brief asking a federal appeals court to reconsider its decision to disregard a qualified immunity defense for Miami, Fla.'s former budget director, warning that allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit against him to go forward would negatively affect municipalities everywhere.

At least two northwest Indiana counties put together a preliminary bid on the bankrupt Indiana Toll Road that's expected to be at least $4 billion, while three other counties opted out of the proposal.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer appointed Maksim Pecherskiy as the city's chief data officer with the aim of making the city more transparent, efficient and innovative.

Moody's Investors Service has revised its outlook on the University of Pennsylvania to positive from stable on expectations that the Ivy League school will continue its momentum in student enrollment, donor support and building flexible reserves.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the rating on Glendale, Calif.'s outstanding water revenue debt a notch from to A1 from Aa3 affecting $86 million in debt.

Public pension discussions take on renewed vigor as unfunded liabilities trouble many states, though there are plenty of examples of sound practices, experts say.

The municipal bond market took a breather on Friday as the primary market was devoid of any new issuance and the secondary saw yields remain unchanged, according to a recent read of Municipal Market Data's triple-A scale.

Having fought many battles with Congress over curbs to bond and other programs that affect affordable housing, John Murphy expects the challenges will continue as he retires from the National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies after 30 years as its executive director.

Manufacturing activity in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's region "expanded at a slightly faster pace in November, and producers' expectations for future activity increased further" in November, according to the bank's monthly manufacturing survey, released Thursday.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it has raised its issuer credit rating (ICR) on Collier County, Fla., to AAA from AA-plus.

Denver International Airport's South Terminal hotel will cost no more than $600 million after a series of overruns ballooned the budget beyond its original $500 million, DIA chief executive Kim Day told the City Audit Committee on Nov. 20.

Calling the state's fiscal condition "stunningly bad," Illinois Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner called on Gov. Pat Quinn to freeze hiring and not move political appointees into union protected jobs.