Public Finance

SACRAMENTO — State Capitol politicians may have an extra $3.2 billion to play with. Or they may not. It depends on whose figures you believe: nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor's or contrarian Gov. Jerry Brown's. I tend to have more...

Although polls nationwide and in Indiana show overwhelming support for tightening background checks for gun purchases,Sen. Dan Coats, Indiana's Republican senior senator, voted "no." He says most constituents who contacted him wanted him to do just that....

WASHINGTON (AP) — Five months into President Barack Obama's second term, allies and former top aides worry that his overarching goal of economic opportunity has been diminished, partly drowned out by controversies seized upon by Republicans in an...

By WILLIAM P. HOJNACKI I am very disappointed in the way that the Obama administration is dealing with the Republicans in the ongoing discussions concerning the federal budget. The administration has, once again, allowed the Republicans to set the agenda...

The Washington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved the county’s proposed 2013-14 fiscal year operating budget of $245.9 million. The budget calls for tax rates to remain the same as last fiscal year, with a real estate tax of 94.8...

WASHINGTON — The federal deficit is shrinking more quickly than expected, and the government's long-term debt has largely stabilized for the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday in a report that could strengthen the Obama...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Saginaw County's Buena Vista district soon could reopen its doors after the local school board on Tuesday night approved a plan aimed at bringing the district out of its million-dollar deficit. The Buena Vista Board of...

Race 1: Jockey Joel Rosario rode Aussi Austin to victory in the first of 13 races on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. Bake Shop took second and Pretension finished third in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race. The winner finished in 1:45.23. Bake Shop and...

WASHINGTON — When it comes to deficit reduction, President Barack Obama may have correctly taken the measure of Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles and U.S. corporate leaders; that's a reason why any deficit deal is more remote than ever. Two and a...

Despite plans by Gov. Jerry Brown to spend roughly $1.6 billion more on education, local school officials this week remained only cautiously optimistic about their financial prospects. The additional funding included in Brown's budget revision...

Fretful that dwindling state funding and rising expenses could lead to an estimated $7.9 million budget deficit, the Community Consolidated School District 15 Board of Education has delayed plans to buy $1.2 million worth of iPads for students....

WINDBER — Windber Area School Board members are taking a hard look at several budget options to deal with an anticipated deficit next year, including a possible tax increase. School directors are at work on a preliminary 2013-14 spending plan and...