Economy

BRADENTON, Fla. - The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority is under fire from Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs for what she describes as an aggressive financing structure that backfired.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday he will schedule a vote the week of Oct. 31 on a bill that would provide $60 billion for transportation and infrastructure and authorize the establishment of a national infrastructure bank.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday named Madison Square Garden executive and former New York City deputy mayor Joseph Lhota to succeed Jay Walder as the chairman and chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

DALLAS - Some board members of the North Texas Tollway Authority appear to have conflicts of interest involving business ties or family members, but the agency lacks clear policies regulating the conflicts, according to a consultant's review.

SAN FRANCISCO - A California health care district is swaying once again on the edge of bankruptcy after emerging from Chapter 9 protection only three years ago.

Standard & Poor’s lowered its rating one notch on $35 million of outstanding bonds issued for Casa Colina Inc. and Affiliates to BBB from BBB-plus.

The Children’s Hospital of Orange County received A ratings from Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s on $105 million of fixed-rate bonds expected to sell on Oct. 24.

With the transportation sector highly correlated with the broader economy, airports are looking to gross domestic product and unemployment estimates to determine their own levels of performance.

Moody's Investors Service dropped the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority one notch to A2 on Tuesday, citing a lighter traffic outlook, reduced revenue support from the state, and deep exposure to variable-rate debt and swaps.

CHICAGO - The chair of a Senate subcommittee in Michigan Wednesday abruptly put off a key vote on a $4 billion, partly bond-funded bridge linking Detroit and Canada.

San Francisco-based Catholic Healthcare West, which operates 40 hospitals throughout California, Nevada and Arizona, is planning a $645 million new-money and refunding deal next week.

Moody’s Investors Service affirmed Hazelden Foundation’s A3 rating ahead of its upcoming $20 million sale of fixed-rate debt to finance various projects that will raise the prominent Minnesota-based treatment center’s debt load by 70%.

Moody’s Investors Service last week withdrew its Ba3 rating on Methodist Hospital after it failed to provide sufficient financial information.

Standard & Poor’s has revised its outlook on Rush University Medical Center Obligated Group’s underlying A-minus rating to positive in recognition of its operating performance and a reduction in construction risks as it nears completion on a new patient tower.

DALLAS - With its first financing for a project in Fort Worth, the North Texas Tollway Authority is expanding its role as the major regional road builder as it faces new scrutiny over its business practices.

The Hudson Yards Infrastructure Corp. plans a $1 billion sale of senior revenue bonds through negotiated bid Wednesday after a one-day retail period, primarily to fund the extension of New York City's No. 7 subway line.

DALLAS - Texas Gov. Rick Perry's office rejected doubling the salary of the Texas Department of Transportation's executive director but did authorize a salary above a statutory maximum of $292,500, officials said.

CHICAGO - A weak real estate market continues to plague the long-troubled senior living sector, though providers have enjoyed some stabilization in the last year, Standard & Poor's said in a new report.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett appointed Charles Kopp, Boise Butler 3d, John Soroko and James Shacklett 3d to four-year terms on the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority.

President Obama approved New York State’s request to expedite the review and approval process to allow work to begin on the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge between Westchester and Rockland counties.