Economy

RBC Capital Markets announced that health care finance professional John Wells has been hired by the bank's municipal unit, which is ranked seventh as senior manager nationwide so far this year, according to Thomson Reuters.

Financing for road-widening projects and upgrades to its two toll roads will keep the New Jersey Turnpike Authority issuing debt in 2010 after selling $1.75 billion of new-money bonds in 2009.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist Wednesday visited four cities to conduct the ceremonial signing of the state's first comprehensive passenger rail bill, which has the potential to jump-start the long-delayed central Florida commuter rail project known as SunRail.

In a reprise of last year, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority yesterday passed a "doomsday" budget that slashes services, but on a delayed schedule.

Federal lawmakers will have to become more comfortable with tolling highways, tunnels, and bridges if they want to obtain the revenues needed to create a national infrastructure bank or fund large capital projects in the future, transportation advocates said yesterday.

Dr. Rafick-Pierre Sekaly and other scientists at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida are looking for "nothing short of cures" when it comes to diseases such as HIV, swine flu, and the West Nile virus, says the institute's chief operating officer, Mark Williams.

The House version of health care reform stands to save state and local governments about $24 billion over the next 10 years, while the Senate leadership's proposal could potentially cut state costs by $83 billion, according to a new study comparing the fiscal impacts of the plans.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans major service cuts next year to deal with revenue shortfalls in the current month and beyond, the agency announced yesterday.

The Senate and House have both approved an omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal 2010 that provides funding for high-speed rail projects and grants to states for transportation infrastructure.

The Delaware River Port ­Authority plans to issue roughly $715 million of new-money and refunding debt in late February to finance capital projects and replace fixed-rate debt with variable-rate bonds under terms of a swap option that will be exercised Jan. 1.

Providence would get a $76 million streetcar system to meet the city’s growing transit needs under recommendations in a report that was released by the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority last week.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is urging U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to approve Florida’s application for high-speed rail funding now that lawmakers have passed a statewide rail policy and funding bill.

SAN FRANCISCO — A special ­election Tuesday may hasten the end of Valley Health System’s two-year-old Chapter 9 bankruptcy case and lead to the ­redemption of the Southern California public hospital district’s outstanding tax-exempt bonds.

WASHINGTON — House Democrats plan to introduce and vote next week on a jobs bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday as the chamber voted 221 to 202 to approve a nearly half-trillion dollar appropriations bill with funding for high-speed rail.

WASHINGTON — Congress is expected as early as this week to take up a $446.8 billion appropriations act for fiscal 2010 that would provide more high-speed rail funds than the Obama administration had requested, along with highway and other transportation infrastructure funds and bond-related community development block grants.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to offer its first public-private partnership concession earlier than planned next year with two metro Atlanta interstate highway projects estimated to cost more than $2 billion.

CHICAGO — The Illinois Finance Authority board this week advanced $400 million of health care financings, including Memorial Health System’s $150 million issue selling today, and hired a new executive director — the agency’s general counsel and deputy director, Christopher Meister.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Florida Legislature late Tuesday finished work on a bill enacting a statewide comprehensive passenger rail policy and providing funds for existing and new rail projects.

New York City has nearly selected all the projects for its $121 million allocation of Recovery Zone facility bonds, pending board approval, the conduit issuer said yesterday.

The Federal Housing Administration, insurer of nearly $20 million of North Philadelphia Health System Series 1997A bonds, will not acquire the borrower’s property and outstanding debt, as Bank of New York Mellon, trustee of the 1997 bonds, agreed to withdraw its notice of mortgage assignment to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.