Colorado has spent about a fifth of its federal stimulus money. State officials announced Tuesday that the state has already spent about $345 million in stimulus funds on wide-ranging projects from boosting food stamp payments to paying the salaries of public employees who might otherwise have been fired because of falling tax receipts.

Stocks mostly fell Tuesday as mixed reports on home prices and consumer confidence gave investors little incentive to step into the market.

CHICAGO—-Fitch Ratings assigns an ‘AA’ rating to Milwaukee County, Wisconsin’s approximately $29.9 million taxable general obligation corporate purpose bonds, series 2009E and approximately $15.6 million GO promissory notes, series 2009F.

SAN FRANCISCO—-Fitch Ratings assigns an ‘AA’ rating to the following City and County of Honolulu , Hawaii’s general obligation bonds:

Crude oil prices rebounded Tuesday after three straight days of declines, offsetting an unexpected slump in consumer confidence.

Shipping companies that haul iron ore, coal and other freight on the Great Lakes have enlisted support from leading congressional Democrats to ward off air pollution regulations they say would be a financial burden.

Mobile phone provider America Movil SA says it is confident that slumping prepaid sales in Mexico will recover as the economy improves.

The Florida Democrat who said Republicans want sick people to “die quickly” is again drawing criticism for his harsh rhetoric, this time for making derogatory remarks about a senior Federal Reserve adviser in a radio interview.

WASHINGTON—-The U.S. Department of Energy today announced that Pepco Holdings, Inc., has been selected to receive $168.1 million dollars in federal stimulus funds to help build the smart grid in the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey.

Treasury prices rose Tuesday after a surprise drop in consumer confidence raised questions about the economic recovery, prompting investors to seek safety in government-backed debt.