Karen is a senior reporter covering the Southwest. She has covered the municipal bond market for more than 30 years at The Bond Buyer and Reuters. Prior to that she wrote about futures and options markets for magazines and was an award-winning reporter for a suburban Chicago newspaper chain.
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A refinancing plan for the defaulted Legacy Cares bonds aimed to raise money to settle claims from contractors and others.
By Karen PierogFebruary 28 -
Legislation barring government contracts with companies that engage in a growing list of "boycotts" in their business dealings has popped up in several states.
By Karen PierogFebruary 27 -
Law firm Greenberg Traurig expects to grow its public finance footprint in Texas with the addition of five lawyers.
By Karen PierogFebruary 24 -
The Arkansas LEARNS bill would create "education freedom" accounts to help cover private school expenses.
By Karen PierogFebruary 23 -
A controversial $5 billion bond-financed extension project spurred several bills that would alter the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority's debt and other practices.
By Karen PierogFebruary 21 -
The taxable bonds, which finally received state approval, will be offered with maturities in 2033 and 2039.
By Karen PierogFebruary 17 -
Gov. Greg Abbott used his State of the State address to fast track his priorities for the legislative session and drop a hint about an upcoming $100 billion transportation infrastructure plan.
By Karen PierogFebruary 17 -
Rating analysts said dropping reserves to 0.25% from 5% to free up capacity does not impact the school bond guarantee program's triple-A ratings.
By Karen PierogFebruary 15 -
A reduction in the program's reserves and February debt payments and maturities of outstanding guaranteed bonds will increase capacity by $7 billion to $9 billion.
By Karen PierogFebruary 13 -
Rising interest rates depressed refunding opportunities, but new money issuance rose amid demand for infrastructure to serve the region's growing population.
By Karen PierogFebruary 13