Law and legal issues

Kentucky's Paducah Power System board will be asked to take bankruptcy off the table as an option to deal with its struggling finances, said manager Mark Crisson, because the system is solvent.

San Bernardino hires consultant to study service levels needed in the city in the hope of crafting a feasible bankruptcy exit strategy.

The state of Michigan may come to market in the next several weeks with a $450 million bond deal to finance a controversial new hockey stadium in Detroit.

A court ruling that South Carolina failed to provide a "minimally adequate" education to poor children is credit positive for low-income school districts, said Moody's.

Trends in the San Bernardino bankruptcy case put the city's bondholders on track to feel more pain than other creditors.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey won a court battle against the Automotive Automobile Association's efforts to block a planned December toll hike.

A federal judge wants more information on bond firms involved in a $31 million borrowing by Allen Park, Mich. that was the target of a recent SEC probe.

Charlotte, N.C., wants the FAA to settle a lengthy governance dispute between local and state officials over Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The pending bankruptcy of the Central Coventry, R.I., Fire District has magnified debate about duplication and accountability within these jurisdictions.

The Central Coventry, R.I., Fire District appears headed for bankruptcy court after state officials and the local union remained stalled over cost concessions.

A group of northwest Indiana counties is eyeing a bid for a 75-year lease of the Indiana Toll Road that would be financed with more than $4 billion of tax-exempt revenue bonds.

Franklin Advisors, the holdout creditor in the Stockton bankruptcy, has filed an appeal challenging U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein's confirmation of the city's plan of adjustment.

A Chicago parks advocacy group has launched a legal challenge to block Star Wars' creator George Lucas' plans to use a site along with Lake Michigan shoreline for his proposed museum.

Culver City officials had little time to celebrate a favorable court ruling in the city's three-year dispute with the California Department of Finance stemming from the redevelopment agency wind-down process, as DOF filed an appeal three days later.

Atlanta unions are considering an appeal following a superior court ruling Nov. 10 that tossed their lawsuit challenging the city's landmark pension reform package.

Kentucky's Paducah Power System board Wednesday adopted a sweeping recovery plan to stabilize finances and provide customers with rate relief that includes potentially selling some of its interest in the troubled Illinois Prairie State coal plant.

A federal appeals court appears likely to hear oral arguments in the case of three convicted UBS AG bid riggers early next year, according to documents filed with the court this week.

Harrisburg, Pa., has begun advertising for a consulting firm to help lead the city's long-range comprehensive plan.

The federal judge overseeing Detroit's bankruptcy has ordered mediation to resolve a dispute over the city's legal bills, which total $140 million and are climbing.

Better scrutiny and support could help avert future bankruptcies, say public finance experts Richard Ravitch and James Spiotto.