Economy

Louisiana saved more than $100 million in debt service costs with last week’s $803 million refunding of gasoline and fuels tax revenue bonds, said state Treasurer John Kennedy.

A coalition of public finance groups is lobbying hard for House and Senate conferees working on a long-term highway bill to include a provision that would temporarily increase the limit for bank-qualified bonds.

DALLAS — El Paso County, Texas, will dedicate $27 million of proceeds from $110 million of certificates of obligation to complete a bridge project across the Rio Grande into Mexico.

DALLAS — Two major airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, are trying to sway public opinion in a showdown between two Houston airports that resembles a recent fight in Dallas.

A federal bankruptcy court last week approved a deal allowing the Flint-based McLaren Health Care Corp. to buy Cheboygan Memorial Hospital, a troubled facility located in northern Michigan.

Moody’s Investors Service last week affirmed its A1 rating on the Parkview Health System and revised the outlook to stable from negative, noting the system’s improved operating performance.

Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider last week unveiled a $9.2 billion multi-year program that combines planning and programming for highways, airports, rail and mass transit from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2018.

DALLAS — Bearing a healthy prognosis from rating agencies, Children's Medical Center of Dallas will look for interest-rate savings with a $164.5 million refunding.

Massachusetts is scheduled to sell $419.3 million of commonwealth transportation fund revenue bonds by competitive bid under its accelerated bridge program.

CHICAGO — Missouri lawmakers have shelved legislation that would have permitted the implementation of tolls on Interstate 70 to fund a $2 billion to $4 billion rebuilding and expansion of the aging highway through a public-private partnership.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents last week said the system would contribute $25 million a year to operations of a medical school in Austin if locals provide $35 million a year.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last week launched a nationwide search for a chief financial officer to replace Michael Fabiano, who has announced he will retire at the end of this year.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Kentucky is seeking proposals from qualified teams to build its half of the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project.

Georgia-based American Maglev Technology Inc. has proposed a 15-mile, $315 million elevated magnetic levitation train project to connect Orlando International Airport with several locations in central Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

If a judge approves a fifth amended reorganization plan, the Las Vegas Monorail Co. could exit bankruptcy soon.

CHICAGO — As the nonprofit health care world keenly awaits the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the new federal health care law, credit analysts warn that a ruling striking down the individual mandate while maintaining the rest of the law would deliver a blow to the already-suffering sector.

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded to A3 from A2 Kettering Health Network’s $408 million of outstanding bonds.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has notified the Cumberland County, Pa., Municipal Authority that $10 million of Series A revenue bonds it issued in February 2008 have been selected for examination.

SAN FRANCISCO — The board of the California Health Facilities Financing Authority has voted to reduce its issuance fees as it battles to remain competitive with other conduit issuers.

A very public feud over the highway funding reauthorization is set to move to a more private venue, as 47 members of a conference committee prepare to hammer out a compromise on divisive issues in the House and Senate bills.