The Bond Buyer articles from August 2005

The Bond Buyer archives from August 2005

The Digest.
August 1, 2005... Both the municipal and Treasury bond markets sold off Friday in a striking reversal of Thursday's rally after a stronger-than-expected regional business survey indicated the economy continues to grow at a solid pace and reinforced market...

Volume Keeps Climbing: July Brings Year-to-Date Total to $244.5B.
August 1, 2005... The municipal market handled about $34.3 billion of debt sales last month, driving the year-to-date volume to $244.5 billion through the first seven months of 2005, a 13.5% increase of bond business over the same period last year, according to...

Illinois Finance Authority Reaches Settlement With IRS on 1999 Audit.
August 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- The Illinois Finance Authority reached a settlement with the Internal Revenue Service that resolves an audit into its predecessor agency's $150 million 1999 pooled bond program underwritten by George K. Baum & Co. to lower borrowing...

SEC Looks At Georgia-Pacific: Informal Inquiry Tied to IRS Probe.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an informal inquiry into whether Georgia-Pacific Corp. violated securities laws in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service's investigation of several solid-waste bond...

News In Brief: Advance 2Q GDP Growth at 3.4% Rate.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Real gross domestic product - the broadest measure of the economy's performance - increased at a 3.4% seasonally adjusted annual rate in the second quarter, according to advance figures released by the Commerce Department Friday....

News In Brief: Employment Costs Up 0.7% in 2Q.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Employee compensation costs rose 0.7% in the second quarter, according to Labor Department data released Friday. The 0.7% increase in the seasonally adjusted employment cost index for all civilian workers was identical to the...

News In Brief: Chicago PMI Gains To 63.5 in July.
August 1, 2005... The Chicago Purchasing Managers' Business Barometer soared to 63.5 in July from 53.6 in June, the 27th straight month of expansion as defined by a reading above 50.0, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Friday. ...

News In Brief: NAPM-NY BCI Rises To 339.6 in July.
August 1, 2005... The New York business conditions index in the National Association of Purchasing Management-New York's Report on Business rebounded in July to 339.6 from 333.7 in June, NAPM-NY announced Friday. "Business activity apparently accelerated in...

News In Brief: Consumer Sentiment Increases in July.
August 1, 2005... The University of Michigan's final July consumer sentiment index reading was 96.5, unchanged from the preliminary number, but up from the final June 96.0 and the preliminary June 94.8, according to market sources. Economists polled by IFR...

Friday's Market: Munis, Treasuries Both Reverse Rally as Data Comes in Stronger Than Expected.
August 1, 2005... Both the municipal and Treasury bond markets sold off Friday in a striking reversal of Thursday's rally after a stronger-than-expected regional business survey indicated the economy continues to grow at a solid pace and reinforced market...

Chicago Budget Director Warns of $94 Million Deficit in 2006.
August 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- Despite recovering tax revenue collections, Chicago faces a projected $94 million deficit in its $5.2 billion 2006 budget, due primarily to the cost of new labor contracts, city budget director John Harris warned on Friday. ...

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Selling $107 Million for 2 Campuses.
August 1, 2005... BRADENTON, Fla. -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc. is preparing to sell $107 million of new and refunding revenue bonds with most of the proceeds to be used for capital improvements at its main campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and...

KDFA Sets 1st Transportation Revolving Fund Deal.
August 1, 2005... DALLAS -- The Kansas Development Finance Authority will sell the first bonds from its transportation revolving fund with a $33.8 million issue set to go to market by the middle of August. With the premium on the revenue bonds, the sale will...

San Francisco's BART District to Refund $353 Million.
August 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- One of the highest rated mass transit systems in the country, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, expects to sell $353 million of refunding bonds Thursday. Referred to locally as BART, the district expects to...

Legislation: Senate Sends $14.5 Billion Energy Bill to Bush's Desk.
August 1, 2005... The Senate gave final congressional approval Friday to a $14.5 billion comprehensive energy bill that includes a provision to allow nonprofit utilities to issue up to $800 million in taxable tax-credit bonds over two years to finance the cost...

Transportation: After Two Years of Debate, Congress on Verge of Passing Highway Spending Bill.
August 1, 2005... Congress appeared poised late Friday to grant final legislative approval to a $286.4 billion highway spending bill that includes a provision to allow private companies to use $15 billion in tax-exempt private-activity bonds that are exempt from...

West Virginia Pension Investments Show Strong Returns in Fiscal 2005.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- All six of West Virginia's employee pension plans had double-digit returns on their Wall Street investments in the fiscal year that ended June 30, the state announced last week. The favorable news suggests that the state will...

The Week Ahead: N.J. Tobacco Deal, Orange County Sale Highlight Calendar.
August 1, 2005... The New Jersey Tobacco Settlement Financing Corp. will seek to cash in on attractive refinancing costs on Wednesday when it sells $2.1 billion in bonds to take out older debt. The market for tobacco bonds has come back as high-yield muni...

Mutual Funds: Eleventh Week of Inflows Sees $222.88M Gain.
August 1, 2005... Municipal bond mutual funds that report weekly had a $225.88 million net inflow during the week ended July 27, AMG Data Services reported. The gain followed a $368.86 million inflow during the previous week -- the 2005 high -- and marked the...

Competitive Bond Offerings.
August 1, 2005... Letter F next to the issuer's name signifies the Official Notice of Sale is available on the internet! Go to www.bondbuyer.com ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT ($000s) TIME OF SALE FINANCIAL ADVISER LEGAL OPINION MATURING...

Competitive Note Offerings.
August 1, 2005... ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT($000s) TIME OF SALE FINANCIAL ADVISER LEGAL OPINION MATURING INSURER MDY'S S&P FITCH BANK-QUAL. LATEST DETAILS Monday, August 1 Kenyon-Wanamingo...

Negotiated Bond Offerings.
August 1, 2005... Tentative dates for negotiated sales of $5 million or more. ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT ($000s) LEAD MANAGER FINANCIAL ADVISER INSURER MDY'S S&P FITCH FIRST APPEARED Week Of August 1 Courtland Indl...

Negotiated Note Offerings.
August 1, 2005... ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT ($000s) LEAD MANAGER FINANCIAL ADVISER INSURER MDY'S S&P FITCH FIRST APPEARED Week Of August 1 Michigan Muni Bond Auth MI Rev 537,125 Bear Stearns - - ...

Results of Negotiated Sales.
August 1, 2005... CALIFORNIA California Health Facilities Financing Authority Jul 29, 2005 $518,820,000 Refunding Revenue Bonds (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Series 2005 (2016-2021, 2027 and 2034 Priced to Par Call) (book entry) $518,820,000. ...

Results of Competitive Sales.
August 1, 2005... CONNECTICUT Danbury (City) Jul 28, 2005 $36,600,000 General Obligation Bond Anticipation Notes (book entry). Dated Aug 5, 2005. Due Aug 4, 2006. Purchased $7,000,000.00 by Commerce Cap Mkts, at 4.0%, plus $80,430.00,...

Trends in the Region: N.Y. Bill Aims to Improve Accountability for Public Authorities.
August 1, 2005... Amid its annual last-minute rush to pass legislation, the New York Legislature reached agreement on a bill that will require the state's public authorities to more clearly account for their debt issuance and could radically impact the way they...

District of Columbia: Skyland Crusade.
August 1, 2005... Mayor Anthony Williams last week turned up the rhetorical heat in his battle to condemn Skyland Shopping Center to make way for a proposed bond-financed redevelopment project. In response to reporters' questions about the redevelopment...

MARYLAND: Hotel vs. Blight Fight.
August 1, 2005... The Baltimore City Council is poised to introduce new funding for the city's blighted neighborhoods as a way of assuaging critics of its plan to build a $305 million convention hotel. City Council President Sheila Dixon revealed the $59...

NEW YORK: Pataki Bows Out.
August 1, 2005... Gov. George Pataki last week announced he will not seek a fourth term in 2006, fueling talk that the moderate Republican will pursue his party's nomination in the 2008 presidential election. Though the three-term governor, a Peekskill...

NEW YORK: Control Board's Future.
August 1, 2005... Should it stay or should it go? That's the question New York City and state officials are asking about the Financial Control Board, an oversight body created 30 years ago to help the city recover from a fiscal crisis after it had been shut out...

NEW YORK: WTC Hub Plan.
August 1, 2005... The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last week approved plans to build a "spectacular" $2.2 billion World Trade Center transportation hub in Lower Manhattan. The Federal Transit Administration is committed to providing about $1.9...

On the Side of the Angels? The Irony of Debt Limits.
August 1, 2005... In responding to inquiries about evolution, Benjamin D'Israeli, Queen Victoria's great prime minister, is said to have remarked, "Is man ape or angel? Well, I am on the side of the angels." Similarly, reformers urging legal limits on public...

LONG-TERM BONDS: January-July.
August 1, 2005... 2005 2004 Volume No. of Volume No. of Pct. ($000s) Issues ($000s) Issues Chg TOTAL $244,485,500 8,220 $215,412,400 8,009 +13.5 January 22,507,100 812 20,724,200 850 +8.6 February 30,806,900 1,003 26,831,400...

NEW-ISSUE VOLUME NOTES.
August 1, 2005... The new-issue volume tables are based on information compiled by The Bond Buyer from Thomson Financial's data base on Friday, July 29, 2005. All figures are preliminary and subject to revision. Long-term bonds have final stated maturities...

LONG-TERM BONDS: July.
August 1, 2005... 2005 2004 Volume No. of Volume No. of Pct. ($000s) Issues ($000s) Issues Chg TOTAL $34,254,900 957 $25,457,200 1,043 +34.6 % Development 577,200 26 623,800 21 -7.5 Education 13,251,200 346 7,366,400 353 +79.9 ...

LARGEST ISSUES: July 2005.
August 1, 2005... Amount Issuer Date $3,140.6 Golden State Tobacco Securitization Corp., Calif. (ref) Jul 27 2,500.0 Massachusetts School Building Authority Jul 15 846.8 New York City, GOs (ref) Jul 15 800.0 Triborough Bridge & Tunnel...

BOND SALES BY STATE: January-July.
August 1, 2005... 2005 2004 Volume Volume Percentage State Rank ($000s) Rank ($000s) Change Alabama 33 $1,669,000 36 $1,078,900 +54.7 % Alaska 42 859,000 48 ...

U.S. Securities Prices.
August 1, 2005... Prices as of 3 p.m. ET. Source: GovPx Inc. Treasury Bills Yesterday's Prev. Day's Yesterday's (in percent of discount) Bid/Offer Bid/Offer Bid Yield 1M -- 8/25/2005 3.180/170 3. -- /175 3.231 3M -- 10/27/2005 3.330/325...

Short-Term Tax-Exempt Yields.
August 1, 2005... Jul 29, 2005 Jul 28, 2005 Jul 30, 2004 Selected MIG-1/SP-1+ Notes Los Angeles Co Trans 4s (June 06) 2.70 2.74 1.47 New Jersey Trans 4s (June 06) 2.80 2.79 n.a. Texas Trans 3s (Aug 05) 2.78 2.57 1.15 Municipal Market...

Municipal Market Data General Obligation Yields.
August 1, 2005... Aaa Aaa (pure) (ins) Aa A Baa 2006 2.71 2.78 2.77 2.87 3.12 2010 3.18 3.30 3.28 3.49 3.84 2015 3.66 3.80 3.77 4.00 4.39 2020 3.93 4.05 4.03 4.26 4.64 2025 4.15 4.26 4.25 4.45 4.77 2030 4.30 4.40 4.40 4.58 4.83...

Market Indicators.
August 1, 2005... Dollar amounts are in millions Day's 2005 2005 Daily Yesterday Change High Date Low Date Municipal Bond Index 115-11 -15/32 116-24 (6/27) 112-11 (1/4) 40 Average Dollar Price 104.37 -0.41 105.74 (6/7) 101.95 (3/30) ...

Visible Supply.
August 1, 2005... Competitive Negotiated Total ($000s) ($000s) ($000s) Weekly Averages 7/29/05 2,507,675 11,691,491 14,199,166 7/22 2,306,755 9,232,541 11,539,296 7/15 2,952,511 11,068,493 14,021,004 7/8 3,320,691 8,284,914 11,605,200...

General Obligation Bond Prices for July 29, 2005.
August 1, 2005... Intermediate Long-Term Bond and Ratings (Moody's/S&P's) Dated Cpn & Maturity Yield Price Prev Chg Cpn &Maturity Yield Price Prev Chg STATES California Series 2004 (A2/A/A-) 12/1/04 5% 6/1/10 3.37 107 1/4 107 1/4 unch 5% 6/1/25...

Placement Ratio.
August 1, 2005... No. Total Amt. Sales from Placement New New Accts. New Accts. Ratio Accts. ($000s) ($000s) (%) 2005 07/29 18 762,720 751,085 98.5 07/22 18 940,385 907,210 96.5 07/15 25 1,603,003 1,462,293 91.2 07/08 10 587,244...

Reoffering Yields.
August 1, 2005... NRO - Not Reoffered; S.B. - Sealed Bid; SNA - Sold, Not Available Offer Amount Date ($Mil) RECENT OFFERINGS 1 Year 5 10 15 20 25 30 Aaa -- AAA 7/20 45.0 Fairfield, Conn.... . NRO 3.65 4.05 4.24....... 7/12 5.6 Crockett...

New-Issue Balances.
August 1, 2005... (,000 Omitted) * Since initial reoffering + Revised upward since last report Amount Date RECENT OFFERINGS Sold Balance $24,500 7/14 Berkeley Unif. Sch. Dist., Calif. $15,000 All Sold 24,305 7/19 Hamden, Conn. 5,285 All...

Municipal Market Yields.
August 1, 2005... Values at 7/29/2005 -- Basis Point Change from 7/22/2005 Aaa Aa A Baa 2006 2.72 -03 2.87 -03 3.07 -03 3.36 -03 2010 3.19 -06 3.34 -06 3.56 -06 3.84 -06 2015 3.70 -05 3.85 -05 4.08 -05 4.37 -05 2020 4.04 -03 4.19 -03 4.42...

Municipal Bond Index Update.
August 1, 2005... The list of bonds used to calculate the Municipal Bond Index was revised after the July 29 pricing. The new coefficient is 1.0222. It was derived by dividing the July 29 index (115.347942) by the average converted price of the new set of...

Municipal Bond Prices.
August 1, 2005... These 40 Bonds are evaluated and priced daily by Standard & Poor's Securities Evaluations Inc. All figures are rounded to the nearest eighth when reported in this table. "Change in Bid" is rounded after calculation. Dollar Change...

Municipal Bond Index.
August 1, 2005... Current Day Previous Day Week Ago Month Ago Year Ago The Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index 115-11 115-26 115-18 116-09 108-23 Friday, July 29, 2005 Maturity Par Call Dollar Conversion Converted Date Date Price Factor Price 1...

Pennsylvania Turnpike Refunding $470M, With UPenn to Follow.
August 1, 2005... Two sizeable refundings are due out of Pennsylvania this week. On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will issue $470 million of bonds to refund all of its 2001 registration fee revenue bonds. The bonds will be sold in four...

L.A. School District Board OKs Sending $3.99B GO Question to Voters.
August 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- After an extra day of haggling, the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District last week approved a $3.985 billion general obligation bond measure. Voters in the massive district will decide on the bond measure on...

Pair of New England Schools Ready to Sell Floating-Rate Deals.
August 1, 2005... Two New England schools, the University System of New Hampshire and Worcester Polytechnic Institute of Worcester, Mass., plan to hit the market today with floating-rate debt. Both have entered into synthetic fixed-rate swaps in anticipation of...

The Digest.
August 2, 2005... The municipal bond market weakened yesterday, extending Friday's losses, after a key manufacturing report beat forecasts and reinforced market expectations that the Federal Reserve would continue its rate-tightening cycle. Complete market...

Student-Backed Sale: Univ. of New Mexico Readies $128 Million Issue.
August 2, 2005... DALLAS -- The University of New Mexico will go to market this week to sell its first-ever bonds backed by revenue from student fees. Proceeds will be used to finance the construction of and improvements to academic buildings at the university...

Michigan DOT Selling $370M to Refund Notes, Fund Construction.
August 2, 2005... CHICAGO -- The Michigan Department of Transportation plans to price $370 million of state trunk-line bonds today that will refund outstanding grant anticipation notes as the state looks to lower its debt service payments through 2009 and free...

Atlanta Sells $550M For Airport: Commercial Paper Deal Is City's First.
August 2, 2005... ATLANTA -- Atlanta is preparing to sell commercial paper for the first time today - a $550 million offering for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Officials say they chose to issue CP to help fund a significant number of relatively...

News In Brief: Treasury Sees $59B In 3Q Borrowing.
August 2, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Treasury Department yesterday announced it expects to issue $59 billion in net borrowing of marketable debt during the July-to-September quarter and to have a cash balance of $30 billion on Sept. 30. The latest borrowing...

News In Brief: ISM Index Jumps To 56.6 in July.
August 2, 2005... The overall economy expanded for the 45th straight month in May, while the manufacturing sector expanded for the 26th time in as many months, the Institute for Supply Management reported Monday. According to the ISM's monthly report on...

News In Brief: Construction Outlays Declined in June.
August 2, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Spending on construction projects fell in June as both private and public construction decreased, according to Commerce Department figures released yesterday. Total construction spending fell 0.3%, or $2.98 billion, to a...

News In Brief: Weekly T-Bills Go At 3.400%, 3.600%.
August 2, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were higher, as the three-months incurred a 3.400% high rate, up from 3.345% last week, and the six-months incurred a 3.600% high rate, up from...

News In Brief: Treasury 4-Weeks To Raise New Cash.
August 2, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Treasury Department said it will sell $15 billion of four-week discount bills today. The 28-day bills will raise $3 billion of new cash and refund $12 billion of maturing bills. (c) 2005 The Bond Buyer and...

Monday's Market: Munis Weaken, Extending Losses, After ISM Index Beats Forecasts.
August 2, 2005... The municipal bond market weakened yesterday, extending Friday's losses, after a key manufacturing report beat forecasts and reinforced market expectations that the Federal Reserve would continue its rate-tightening cycle. As prices fell,...

A Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 2, 2005... Stories that appeared yesterday and Friday on Chicago's recent upgrades misstated some of the rating changes. Standard & Poor's raised the city's general obligation debt to AA-minus from A-plus and Fitch Ratings raised the city to AA from...

Albuquerque Councilor Offers Compromise on Bond Projects.
August 2, 2005... DALLAS -- Albuquerque City Councilor Michael Cadigan was expected to propose a compromise bond project list to the City Council that would restore most of the $9.5 million in council-approved projects vetoed by Mayor Martin Chavez. ...

N.Y. Dorm Pays $6.8 Million of Debt Service on St. Vincent Bonds.
August 2, 2005... The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York yesterday made more than $6.8 million of regularly scheduled debt service payments on bonds issued for St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last...

SEC: Rep. Christopher Cox Ready to Be Sworn In as Chairman Tomorrow.
August 2, 2005... Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., is expected to be sworn in as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission tomorrow and plans to begin work on Thursday, his congressional office said yesterday. However, the details of the...

GASB: Moody's: Putting OPEBs on the BooksWill Not Necessarily Damage Ratings.
August 2, 2005... Although upcoming changes in Governmental Accounting Standards Board reporting rules governing "other post-employment benefits" will add to state and local government fiscal pressures, Moody's Investors Service does not expect widespread bond...

SRFs: Compromise EPA Bill Cuts Wastewater Fund by Nearly $200M.
August 2, 2005... The House and Senate approved and sent to the White House a $26.2 billion fiscal 2006 compromise spending bill for the Interior Department and other agencies that includes $900 million for the wastewater state revolving loan fund, a nearly $200...

Transportation: Lawmakers OK Final 6-Year, $286B Road and Transit Bill.
August 2, 2005... After nearly two years of stop-and-start deliberations, Congress last week finally sent President Bush compromise legislation that would provide $286.4 billion for road and mass transit construction and safety programs over six years and would...

Lauderhill, Fla., Residents to Get Crack at City's First GO Sale.
August 2, 2005... BRADENTON, Fla. -- Residents of Lauderhill, Fla., where voters approved a $35 million general obligation bond issue last November, get a chance this week to buy their own city's bonds in a retail order period to be held by the city's...

SEC OKs Change to G-40 on Electronic Mail.
August 2, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Securities and Exchange Commission announced yesterday that it has approved a change in the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board's Rule G-40 governing electronic mail contacts. The amendment was filed in May. It would...

Levy Leaves Citigroup to Join Goldman Sachs.
August 2, 2005... David Levy, formerly a banker for Citigroup Global Markets Inc., recently left that firm to join Goldman, Sachs & Co. in its south Florida office, a Goldman spokesman said. "David Levy joined Goldman Sachs about a month ago and he is going...

Competitive Bond Offerings.
August 2, 2005... Letter F next to the issuer's name signifies the Official Notice of Sale is available on the internet! Go to www.bondbuyer.com ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT ($000s) TIME OF SALE FINANCIAL ADVISER LEGAL OPINION MATURING...

Competitive Note Offerings.
August 2, 2005... ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT($000s) TIME OF SALE FINANCIAL ADVISER LEGAL OPINION MATURING INSURER MDY'S S&P FITCH BANK-QUAL. LATEST DETAILS Tuesday, August 2 Acushnet (Town)...

Negotiated Bond Offerings.
August 2, 2005... Tentative dates for negotiated sales of $5 million or more. ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT ($000s) LEAD MANAGER FINANCIAL ADVISER INSURER MDY'S S&P FITCH FIRST APPEARED Week Of August 1 Courtland Indl...

Negotiated Note Offerings.
August 2, 2005... ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT ($000s) LEAD MANAGER FINANCIAL ADVISER INSURER MDY'S S&P FITCH FIRST APPEARED Tuesday, August 2 Michigan Muni Bond Auth MI Rev 537,125 Bear Stearns - - - ...

Results of Negotiated Sales.
August 2, 2005... ALABAMA Sylacauga Utilities Board Jul 13, 2005 $7,595,000 Series 2005 Utility Revenue Refunding Bonds (bank qualified) $7,595,000. Dated Aug 1, 2005. Due May 1, 2008 to 2016. First coupon Nov 1, 2005. Callable...

Results of Competitive Sales.
August 2, 2005... MINNESOTA Kenyon-Wanamingo Independent School District No. 2172 Aug 1, 2005 $1,515,000 General Obligation Aid Anticipation Certificates of Indebtedness, Series 2005A (MN SD Credit Enhancement Program) (bank qualified) (book...

ARIZONA: Mesa Modifies Tax Plan.
August 2, 2005... A 16-member citizens' committee agreed last week to remove a secondary property tax earmarked for bond refunding from a list of recommendations aimed at solving Mesa's financial problems. A proposal for a primary property tax will remain, but...

ARIZONA: Million-Dollar Late Fee.
August 2, 2005... A Phoenix businessman has paid a $1 million late fee to Glendale for being a year late to develop Westgate City Center, a shopping and entertainment complex near the Glendale Arena and the new Cardinals football stadium currently under...

ARKANSAS: More Time for Masters.
August 2, 2005... Two special masters assigned to determine whether the state has lived up to the mandates of a 2002 school funding order by the Arkansas Supreme Court told the court last week that they will not be able to meet a Sept. 1 deadline for a report in...

KANSAS: Session Costs Tallied.
August 2, 2005... The recently completed special session of the Kansas Legislature cost taxpayers $573,747, most of which went to pay lawmakers for the 12-day session. Most of the legislators were paid for 15 days, including a three-day July 4 holiday....

TEXAS: Student Shuffle.
August 2, 2005... Dallas Independent School District trustees voted unanimously last week to take the 2,700 students of Wilmer-Hutchins ISD into 25 of its schools in southern Dallas when classes begin later this month. DISD will receive an extra $15.2...