Economy

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority yesterday asked the state, city, and subway and commuter train riders to pony up more money to help the agencyy close a budget gap that would rise to $903 million in 2009.

DALLAS - New Mexico lawmakers will return to Santa Fe Aug. 15 for a special session to deal with issues high on Gov. Bill Richardson's agenda that got short shrift in last spring's regular session.

CHICAGO - With ratings in the double-A category and clearance from the Illinois auditor general, the Chicago Transit Authority is readying its long-planned issue of nearly $2 billion of taxable pension-related bonds for sale as soon as next week.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission yesterday announced that it submitted a revamped application to the Federal Highway Administration, seeking approval to implement tolls on Interstate 80.

Facing a $20 million 2009 budget deficit stemming largely from rising fuel costs, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority last week issued a proposal to raise fares and cut service in Cuyahoga County.

Senate Appropriations Committee members are expected Thursday to vote on transportation funding as part of a second economic stimulus package, Peter Rogoff, staff director of the committee's transportation panel told airport executives meeting here yesterday.

The New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority today will price nearly $250 million of state contract bonds to help support Catholic Health East's buyout of three Newark hospitals, a move that will help eliminate the area's number of vacant hospital beds.

WASHINGTON - Marking the 10th anniversary of Allegheny Health, Education, and Research Foundation's historic bankruptcy filing and payment default, Moody's Investors Service issued a report yesterday on the lessons learned from that debacle and the challenges still facing nonprofit hospitals.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has proposed a $200 million package of 13 road construction projects that would be financed with $100 million of energy severance tax bonds and $100 million from the state’s surplus.

DALLAS - With $5.4 billion of toll-road related projects on the drawing board, Harris County, Tex., today plans to issue $350 million of senior-lien toll road revenue bonds with maturities stretching to 40 years.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority finance committee approved an amendment to its 2005-2009 capital program that would defer some $2.7 billion of projects. The full board will vote on the amendment tomorrow. The MTA board will also get a presentation tomorrow on the preliminary 2009 operating budget.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission tomorrow will sell $234.8 million of subordinate revenue bonds to help the agency meet its initial fiscal 2009 payment to the state's Department of Transportation.

DALLAS — Harris County gets the show on the road this week for large Texas issuers with a $350 million toll road revenue bond deal led by Goldman, Sachs & Co.

A pair of issuers from Los Angeles will have starring roles in this week's primary market, which is expected to see an estimated $7.67 billion of new-issue volume, according to Thomson Reuters, compared with a revised $6.27 billion last week.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s acting finance director has moved over to become treasurer. Vinay Dayal replaced MTA treasurer John Murphy, who retired after 35 years of service with the New York agency.

Critics of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to have the state extend its double-A credit rating to $2.2 billion of Massachusetts Turnpike Authority debt say the administration should look toward reforming MassPike and creating greater transparency before adding more debt on top of the commonwealth's $29 billion of outstanding debt.

The Honolulu city clerk said Tuesday she would not accept petitions from a campaign that is trying to place an initiative measure on the city’s November ballot to kill a planned rail transit system.

CHICAGO - Ohio is launching a new federal bond fund program under the state infrastructure bank to finance highway and transit projects, a move that comes as officials have named transportation funding a top priority for the state.

Standard & Poor’s Wednesday dropped the underlying rating on Antelope Valley Healthcare District revenue bonds to speculative grade.

Los Angeles International Airport kept double-A ratings on its senior-lien revenue bonds from all three major credit agencies ahead of a $950 million bond sale that will more than quintuple its debt at a time when the airline industry is in a steep descent.