The Bond Buyer articles from July 2005

The Bond Buyer archives from July 2005

The Digest.
July 1, 2005... The municipal bond market finished higher yesterday after the Federal Reserve raised its target overnight lending rate to 3.25% as expected but did not provide any indication that it would soon pause its tightening campaign, reiterating that...

On Pins and Needles: Bond Terms Giving Seattle Monorail Trouble.
July 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- The Seattle Monorail Project has been a survivor. Conceived outside the usual political channels, the plan to build a 14-mile elevated urban monorail has a 4-0 record at the ballot box despite some fierce opposition. ...

Minnesota Officials: Government Shutdown Won't Affect Debt Service.
July 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- While Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and lawmakers continued meeting yesterday in the hopes of finishing a new budget before the start of a new fiscal year today, state officials were preparing for a partial government shutdown that...

First-Half Issuance Sets Record: Refundings Blossom On Flat Yield Curve.
July 1, 2005... With long-term interest rates hitting all-time lows even as the yield curve flattened, tax-exempt borrowers in the first half of 2005 rushed to market with a surge of refundings that pushed issuance to a new record, according to preliminary...

News In Brief: FOMC Bumps Funds Rate 25 Bps to 3.25%.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- In their ninth interest rate hike in slightly more than a year, Federal Reserve Board policymakers yesterday raised the federal funds rate 25 basis points to 3.25% as expected and retained the word "measured" in their description...

News In Brief: Personal Income Up; Spending Unchanged.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Personal income rose 0.2% in May, while personal consumption remained unchanged, the Commerce Department reported yesterday. Personal income rose by $23.5 billion to about $10.24 trillion after a revised 0.6% increase in...

News In Brief: Jobless Claims Down 6,000 to 310,000.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- First-time applications for state unemployment fell 6,000 to 310,000 in the week ending June 25, according to data released by the Labor Department yesterday. The applications figure was a bit below the 325,000 claims...

News In Brief: T-Bill Auction to Pay Down $4.365B.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Treasury Department said today it will pay down $4.365 billion at its weekly auction of 91-day and 182-day discount bills Tuesday by selling $30 billion to refund $34.365 billion in maturing securities. To be sold are $16...

News In Brief: Chicago PMI Falls To 53.6 in June.
July 1, 2005... The Chicago purchasing managers' index fell to 53.6 in June from 54.1 in May on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Purchasing Management Association of Chicago said. An index reading below 50 signals a slowing economy, while a level above 50...

Thursday's Market: Municipals Finish Higher as Fed Raises Target Overnight Lending Rate to 3.25%.
July 1, 2005... The municipal bond market finished higher yesterday after the Federal Reserve raised its target overnight lending rate to 3.25% as expected but did not provide any indication that it would soon pause its tightening campaign, reiterating that...

Weekly Indexes Finish Mixed After Federal Reserve Raises Its Fund Rate.
July 1, 2005... The Bond Buyer's yield indexes were a mixed bag this week after steady trading Friday and Monday was followed by moderate buying on Thursday after the Federal Reserve raised its federal funds rate and signaled continued contractionary policy....

N.Y.-N.J. Port Agency Eyes New Airport, Smart Cards.
July 1, 2005... The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will consider adding a new airport as a possible means to expand passenger capacity at its facilities. The authority operates John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia in New York City and Newark...

Minneapolis-Based Allina Health Receives Moody's Upgrade.
July 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- Minneapolis-based Allina Health System -- now with a three-year track record of improving financials since its split with its health maintenance organization partner -- won a credit upgrade to A2 from A3 from Moody's Investors...

Merrill Lynch Mops Up 18-Year-Old Legal Mess in California.
July 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- California is bringing an end to over 18 years of litigation, with help from a Merrill Lynch & Co. deal that allows the state to spread the cost of a $428 million judgment against it over 10 years. The legal wrangling...

Tobacco Litigation: American Cancer Society, Other Groups Seek to Intervene in RICO Case.
July 1, 2005... The American Cancer Society and five other public-health advocacy groups want the tobacco industry to pay more than the $14 billion in civil penalties the federal government recently proposed, and have asked the judge hearing the racketeering...

State and Local Finance: Report: Most States' Revenue Is Still Below 2001 Levels.
July 1, 2005... Real per capita state tax revenue fell so sharply during the fiscal slowdown earlier this decade that despite economic recovery and recent tax increases, revenue levels in fiscal 2004 were below the levels of 2001 in more than two-thirds of the...

SEC: Glassman Chosen as Acting Commission Chairman.
July 1, 2005... President Bush yesterday appointed Cynthia A. Glassman the acting chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission as William H. Donaldson stepped down from the post. Glassman, one of two Republicans on the commission, joined the SEC...

Lawmakers Poised to Pass Another TEA-21 Extension.
July 1, 2005... The House and Senate yesterday evening were on the verge of passing legislation that would extend for 19 days the provisions of the law governing the nation's highway building and public transit construction programs -- which would be the...

Infrastructure: Senate Unanimously Approves $27B Budget for Interior.
July 1, 2005... The Senate overwhelmingly approved a $27 billion fiscal 2006 funding package for the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies, including $1.1 billion for the wastewater state revolving fund and $850 million for...

Transportation: House Votes to Amend Language of Amtrak Legislation.
July 1, 2005... The House voted Wednesday night to remove language from legislation funding the Department of Transportation that would have prohibited federal funds from being spent on Amtrak routes that require a federal subsidy of $30 or more per passenger....

Mutual Funds: Investors Turned Back to Munis in May, Pushing Inflow to $697M.
July 1, 2005... Municipal bond mutual funds had a net inflow of $697 million in May as investors took advantage of this year's positive returns on both ends of the yield curve, the Investment Company Institute reported this week. The May results follow a...

Money Market Funds: Yields Enjoy 2d 13-Point Increase in a Row.
July 1, 2005... Tax-free money market fund yields climbed to 1.89% on an annualized basis Monday, marking a second consecutive 13 basis point weekly increase, according to iMoneyNet Inc. The rise in yields followed a 60 basis point plunge during the first two...

Competitive Bond Offerings.
July 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.
July 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 Thursday, June 30 Hull (Town) MA...

Negotiated Bond Offerings.
July 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 June 27 Rancho...

Negotiated Note Offerings.
July 1, 2005... ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT ($000s) LEAD MANAGER FINANCIAL ADVISER INSURER MDY'S S&P FITCH FIRST APPEARED Thursday, June 30 Santa Barbara Co Sch Fin CA Tax & Rev Antic 21,000 Banc of America --- --- ---...

Results of Negotiated Sales.
July 1, 2005... ARIZONA Phoenix Union High School District No. 210 Jun 29, 2005 $65,000,000 School Improvement Bonds Project of 2003, Series 2005 B (2016-2018 and 2020-2025 Priced to Par Call) (book entry). Dated Jul 1, 2005. Due Jul 1,...

Results of Competitive Sales.
July 1, 2005... ARKANSAS Centerpoint School District No. 43 of Pike County Jun 28, 2005 $965,000 Refunding Bonds (bank qualified) (book entry). Dated Jul 1, 2005. Due Feb 1, 2006 to 2017. Callable Aug 1, 2010 at par. Winning...

Election Results.
July 1, 2005... APPROVED Saturday, Jun 25, 2005 TEXAS Laredo ISD--$60,000,000 Construction, land purchase and renovations Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 UTAH Iron Co SD BOE--$23,500,000 Build two new elementary schools, remodel...

CALIFORNIA: Frye Cooking.
July 1, 2005... An independent poll placed San Diego Councilwoman Donna Frye in the lead for the city's special mayoral election to be held July 26, according to published reports. The poll was released Sunday by Datamar Inc., a San Diego-area provider of...

CALIFORNIA: Hasta La Vista?
July 1, 2005... The Terminator could face termination in a re-election campaign, according to the results of a public opinion poll released this week. The Field Poll sample of 711 registered voters found Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger trailing two...

HAWAII: Rail Tax Threat.
July 1, 2005... A plan to raise taxes on Oahu to finance a light-rail system is facing a veto threat. The Hawaii Legislature this year approved a measure authorizing counties to impose a half-cent increase in the state's 4% excise tax for transportation...

OREGON: Development Head.
July 1, 2005... The Portland Development Commission Wednesday named Oregon Department of Transportation director Bruce Warner as its new executive director. Warner will take the helm of the city's urban renewal agency Aug. 1. The powers of the PDC include...

WASHINGTON: Science Authority Pick.
July 1, 2005... Gov. Christine Gregoire Wednesday announced the appointment of Lura Powell as chair of the Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority. The authority was created to finance biomedical and biological science research, using funds Washington is...

LONG-TERM BONDS: January - June.
July 1, 2005... 2005 2004 Volume No. of Volume No. of Pct. ($000s) Issues ($000s) Issues Chg TOTAL $206,318,900 7,007 $189,953,900 6,965 +8.6 % January 22,487,300 810 20,724,200 850 +8.5 February 30,763,600 996 26,831,400 1,071 +14.7...

NEW-ISSUE VOLUME NOTES.
July 1, 2005... The new-issue volume tables are based on information compiled by The Bond Buyer from Thomson Financial's data base on Thursday, June 30, 2005. All figures are preliminary and subject to revision. Long-term bonds have final stated maturities...

BOND SALES BY STATE: January-June.
July 1, 2005... 2005 2004 Volume Volume Percentage State Rank ($000s) Rank ($000s) Change Alabama 31 $1,508,600 35 $956,100 +57.8 % Alaska 43 740,800 47 442,600 +67.4 Arizona 13 4,417,400 11 4,801,600 -8.0 Arkansas 40 798,000...

LONG-TERM BONDS: June.
July 1, 2005... 2005 2004 Volume No. of Volume No. of Pct. ($000s) Issues ($000s) Issues Chg TOTAL $40,063,900 1,271 $34,848,100 1,352 +15.0 % Development 656,100 31 404,500 42 +62.2 Education 13,349,200 485 8,431,900 444 +58.3 ...

LARGEST ISSUES: June 2005.
July 1, 2005... Amount Issuer Date 1,381.1 Brazos Higher Education Authority, Tex., student loans Jun 17 1,333.0 Puerto Rico Infrastructure Finance Authority (NM/ref) Jun 2 936.1 California (State), GOs (ref) (cpt) Jun 16 900.0 Texas...

U.S. Securities Prices.
July 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 -- 7/28/2005 2. -- /920 2.898/888 2.967 3M -- 9/29/2005 3.060/050...

Short-Term Tax-Exempt Yields.
July 1, 2005... Jun 30, 2005 Jun 29, 2005 Jul 1, 2004 Selected MIG-1/SP-1+ Notes Los Angeles Co Trans 4s (June 06) 2.57 2.56 1.66 Texas Trans 3s (Aug 05) 2.50 2.50 1.16 Municipal Market Data Commercial Paper (30-Day) 2.40 2.45 1.10 ...

Municipal Market Data General Obligation Yields.
July 1, 2005... Aaa Aaa (pure) (ins) Aa A Baa 2006 2.58 2.65 2.64 2.75 3.03 2010 2.97 3.09 3.07 3.29 3.64 2015 3.45 3.58 3.55 3.80 4.19 2020 3.78 3.90 3.88 4.11 4.49 2025 4.05 4.16 4.15 4.32 4.64 2030 4.22 4.32 4.32 4.47 4.71...

Market Indicators.
July 1, 2005... Dollar amounts are in millions Day's 2005 2005 Daily Yesterday Change High Date Low Date Municipal Bond Index 116-23 +10/32 116-24 (6/27) 112-11 (1/4) 40 Average Dollar Price 105.71 +0.28 105.74 (6/7) 101.95 (3/30) ...

Weekly Yields of 20-Bond GO Index and Treasury Securities.
July 1, 2005... Latest Previous Year 12-Month Week Week Ago High Low 20-Bond Index 4.24 4.23 4.98 4.98 4.18 10-Year Treasury Note 3.93 3.96 4.56 4.60 3.89 30-Year Treasury Bond 4.20 4.25 5.29 5.30 4.20 Basis Pt Spread to Note -31 -27 -42...

Credit Calendar.(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... MONDAY, July 4 All U.S. securities markets are closed in observance of Independence Day. TUESDAY, July 5 The Treasury pays down $4.365 billion at its regular weekly auction of three-month and six-month discount bills by selling...

Bond Buyer Indexes.
July 1, 2005... Average Municipal Bond Yields -- Compiled Weekly 20-Bond 11-Bond 25-Bond 10-Year 30-Year GO Index1 GO Index1 Revenue2 Treasury3 Treasury3 2005 JUN 30 4.24 4.16 4.77 3.93 4.20 23 4.23 4.16 4.76 3.96 4.25 16...

State and Local Government Series Rates.
July 1, 2005... Friday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Jun 24 Jun 27 Jun 28 Jun 29 Jun 30 Overnight* 2.13 2.13 2.21 2.21 2.21 Three Months 3.02 3.04 3.10 3.09 3.08 Six Months 3.22 3.22 3.28 3.30 3.28 Nine Months 3.28 3.27 3.33 3.35...

Reoffering Yields.
July 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 6/28 10.0 Farmersville I.S.D., Tex. (PSF gtd.).... . 3.00 3.50 3.95 4.25 4.40.......

New-Issue Balances.
July 1, 2005... (,000 Omitted) * Since initial reoffering + Revised upward since last report Amount Date NEW OFFERINGS Sold Balance $36,300 6/29 *San Francisco Redev. Fin. Auth., Calif. $17,590 $18,710 10,000 6/29 West Seneca Ctrl. Sch....

Municipal Bond Index Update.
July 1, 2005... The list of bonds used to calculate the Municipal Bond Index was revised after the June 30 pricing. The new coefficient is 1.0228. It was derived by dividing the June 30 index (116.724954) by the average converted price of the new set of...

Municipal Bond Prices.
July 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.
July 1, 2005... Current Day Previous Day Week Ago Month Ago Year Ago The Bond Buyer Municipal Bond Index 116-23 116-13 116-13 116-17 107-12 Thursday, June 30, 2005 Maturity Par Call Dollar Conversion Converted Date Date Price Factor Price 1...

Florida-Based Adventist Gets Fitch Upgrade to A-Plus.
July 1, 2005... BRADENTON, Fla. -- Fitch Ratings on Tuesday upgraded the rating on Adventist Health System's Sunbelt Obligated Group to A-plus from A, affecting $2.5 billion of outstanding debt. Fitch also affirmed the F1 short-term rating on $68 million...

Texas Senate Votes to Cut Local Property Tax for Schools.
July 1, 2005... DALLAS -- The Texas Senate yesterday approved a plan to cut local property tax revenues for school districts, just one day after the House Ways and Means Committee approved a plan to replace that revenue. The Senate's approval of its...

The Digest.
July 5, 2005... The municipal bond market finished Friday's abbreviated session weaker and yields were adjusted higher by at least five basis points after Treasuries sold off on the back of stronger-than-expected June manufacturing data. Government bonds...

N.Y.C.'s Riverfront Revival: City Pledges $367M for Waterfront Development.
July 5, 2005... For decades, Manhattan was an elegant lady wearing an ugly necklace. The slender island holds some of the world's most expensive real estate, yet it was encircled mainly by a dingy waterfront of crumbling piers and trash-strewn lots. This...

Wash. Firm In Tax Court Over Bonds: IRS: Weyerhaeuser Can't Deduct Interest.
July 5, 2005... WASHINGTON -- In what appears to be part of a widening campaign involving conduit borrowers, the Internal Revenue Service has told the Weyerhaeuser Co. it cannot write off interest paid to bondholders on a $24 million Southeastern Oklahoma...

Texas' Midland College Selling First GOs Since 1975.
July 5, 2005... DALLAS -- The Midland College District, located at the base of the Texas Panhandle, minutes from the childhood home of President Bush, will go to market later this week with a $41.8 million offering of general obligation bonds, the first GO...

Citigroup No. 1 Among Senior Managers in 1st Half.
July 5, 2005... Citigroup Global Markets Inc. snatched the top spot among senior managers for the first half of 2005 with $31.8 billion in par volume and a 15% market share, upstaging rival UBS Financial Services Inc., which slipped to second place with $24.1...

News In Brief: May Construction Spending Drops 0.9%.
July 5, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Spending on construction projects fell in May as private construction dropped and public construction increased, according to Commerce Department figures released Friday. Total construction spending fell 0.9%, or $10.3...

News In Brief: ISM June Index Rises to 53.8%.
July 5, 2005... U.S. economic activity expanded in the manufacturing sector as well as in the overall economy last month, the nation's supply executives said in the Institute for Supply Management's latest report on business. The institute said the PMI...

News In Brief: Univ. of Mich. June Sentiment Up to 96.0.
July 5, 2005... The University of Michigan's final June consumer sentiment index was reported at 96.0, up from the preliminary June reading of 94.8 and the final May figure of 86.9, according to market sources. Economists polled by IFR BondData Americas...

Friday's Market: Shortened Trading Day Sees Yields Rise by Five or More Basis Points.
July 5, 2005... The municipal bond market finished Friday's abbreviated session weaker and yields were adjusted higher by at least five basis points after Treasuries sold off on the back of stronger-than-expected June manufacturing data. Government bonds...

N.J., Puerto Rico Nearing Finish Line On Their Fiscal 2006 Spending Plans.
July 5, 2005... Legislators in New Jersey and Puerto Rico made significant progress late last week toward passing respective spending plans for the 2006 fiscal year that began Friday. In New Jersey, the Legislature was set late Friday to hold committee...

Kansas Lawmakers Near End of Session Without Education Answer.
July 5, 2005... DALLAS -- The Kansas Legislature, in the 10th day of a special session convened to comply with an order from the state Supreme Court to increase education funding, worked Friday to resolve separate plans adopted by the two chambers and to find...

House OKs $67B for DOT, Other Agencies in 2006.
July 5, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The House last week approved a $67 billion fiscal 2006 funding package for the Department of Transportation and other agencies, including $37 billion for highway construction and $8.4 billion for public transportation construction...

TEA-21 Gets Its 8th Extension, This One for 19 Days.
July 5, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The House and Senate last week approved legislation that extended for 19 days the provisions of the law governing the nation's highway building and public transit construction programs -- the eighth time Congress has extended the...

United Airlines Unveils Schedule For Exiting Chapter 11.
July 5, 2005... CHICAGO -- United Airlines -- facing mounting pressure from creditors in recent months to disclose its progress in reorganizing -- last week unveiled a schedule that puts the carrier on track to submit a reorganization plan in August and to...

Supreme Court: House Takes Stand Against Eminent Domain Ruling.
July 5, 2005... The House overwhelmingly approved a non-binding resolution last week condemning the Supreme Court's recent landmark ruling that allows a Connecticut locality to seize private property for a planned private redevelopment it says could boost...

SEC: Bush Formally Nominates Cox; 3 Commission Staff to Leave.
July 5, 2005... President Bush has formally nominated Rep. Christopher Cox, a nine-term Republican congressman who represents the 48th District in California, which includes Orange County, to become chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The...

Housing: House Overwhelmingly Approves $38 Billion HUD Budget for FY '06.
July 5, 2005... The House last week overwhelmingly approved a nearly $38 billion fiscal 2006 spending package for the Department of Housing and Urban Development that would boost funding levels for three programs whose funds can be leveraged in municipal bond...

People: George K. Baum Hires Three for Denver, Sacramento Offices.
July 5, 2005... DALLAS -- George K. Baum & Co. announced last week that it has hired three new public finance professionals to take positions in the firm's Denver and Sacramento offices. The firm has hired longtime Colorado banker W. Todd Snidow to lead...

Wells Fargo Appoints Hogg to National Sales Post for Brokerage Division.
July 5, 2005... CHICAGO -- Wells Fargo & Co. has elevated Alan Hogg to serve as national sales manager for its institutional brokerage and sales division -- a role previously held by the firm's president, John S. McCune. "We have grown significantly to a...

Competitive Bond Offerings.
July 5, 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.
July 5, 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, July 5 Groveland (Town)...

Negotiated Bond Offerings.
July 5, 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 July 4 Chandler AZ GO...

Negotiated Note Offerings.
July 5, 2005... ISSUER ST DESCRIPTION AMOUNT ($000s) LEAD MANAGER FINANCIAL ADVISER INSURER MDY'S S&P FITCH FIRST APPEARED Week Of July 4 Wheeling Comm Cons SD#21 IL Tax Antic 12,000 Legg Mason --- --- MIG1 --- --- Jun 27...

Results of Negotiated Sales.
July 5, 2005... CALIFORNIA Rancho California Water District Jul 1, 2005 $20,495,000 Local Agency Revenue Refunding Bonds, 2005 Series D (Senior Lien Bonds) (book entry) $15,370,000. Dated Jul 19, 2005. Due Sep 2, 2006 to 2030. First...

Results of Competitive Sales.
July 5, 2005... MASSACHUSETTS Athol-Royalston Regional School District Jul 1, 2005 $2,000,000 Revenue Anticipation Note (bank qualified). Dated Jul 11, 2005. Due Jun 30, 2006. Purchased $2,000,000.00 by Bank of Western Mass, at...

ARIZONA: ASU Campus Plan.
July 5, 2005... Phoenix city attorneys last week filed condemnation notices in Maricopa County Superior Court to take nearly five acres from eight property owners for the new downtown campus of Arizona State University. More filings are expected. The city...

ARIZONA: Flat-Screens for All.
July 5, 2005... Each room in Phoenix's publicly financed downtown Sheraton hotel will have a flat-screen television because the high-tech sets are cheaper than a standard TV with an armoire to hold it. The city's Downtown Phoenix Hotel Corp., which will...

ARIZONA: Deer Valley Tries Again.
July 5, 2005... Deer Valley Unified School District No. 97 hopes the third time is the charm as it takes a request for a seven-year $52.5 million override of property tax limits for capital improvements to the voters in November. Taxpayers shot down similar...

ARKANSAS: Jail to Stay Open.
July 5, 2005... Arkansas Circuit Court Judge Mike Medlock last week approved a plan to allow the Crawford County Jail to remain open, but ordered the sheriff's department to obey capacity rules. The June 30 order mandates that the county maintain a...

OKLAHOMA: Dome Deal Contested.
July 5, 2005... Jerry Fent, a retired Oklahoma City attorney, filed a petition with the state Supreme Court last week seeking its reconsideration of a 6-to-3 ruling in June authorizing a $5 million bond issue to pay for completing the state capitol dome. ...