IN BRIEF

In a move to enter the Chicago market, Las Vegas-based casino operator Ameristar Casinos said Wednesday it is buying a Resorts International Holdings unit that owns and operates Resorts East Chicago for $675 million in cash.

The company will fund the acquisition within its existing capital structure.

Ameristar said it plans to make several improvements at Resorts East Chicago, including expanding the gaming facilities, improving casino access, building additional structured parking and upgrading nongaming amenities. The property’s expansion and renovation is expected to be complete during the third year following closing.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Judge OKs filing of bankruptcy case

A federal judge in Riverside, Calif., on Wednesday ordered that representatives of investors in USA Capital, a failed private lender, may file an involuntary bankruptcy case against a separate company controlled by owners of USA Capital.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson ruled that a bankruptcy court trustee and the administrator for USA Capital Diversified Trust Deed Fund may file an involuntary petition, putting USA Investment Partners into bankruptcy.

Tom Hantges, Joe Milanowski and Paul Hamilton, former executives of USA Capital, owned USA Investment Partners, a real estate development company. USA Capital solicited money from investors and made loans to developers, including USA Investment Partners.

NEW YORK

Car head restraints found to shield poorly

Head restraints in several passenger vehicles provided marginal or poor protection against neck injuries and whiplash, the insurance industry will report today in new crash test results.

Only 22 of 75 vehicles tested in a simulated rear crash at 20 miles per hour received the top score of good from the Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Several 2007 vehicles got the lowest score of poor in the tests. The vehicles include: Acura TSX, some versions of the BMW 5 Series, Buick Lacrosse and Lucerne; Cadillac CTS, STS and DTS; Chevrolet Aveo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Honda Accord and Fit; Hyundai Accent, Infiniti M35, Jaguar X-Type, Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Galant, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Corolla, and the Suzuki Forenza and Reno.

The institute estimates that neck injuries account for 2 million insurance claims annually costing at least $8.5 billion.

BENTONVILLE, Ark.

Fired Wal-Mart worker recounts spying details

Wal-Mart’s normally low-profile security efforts were thrust into the limelight Wednesday when a fired technician alleged he had been part of a large surveillance operation that spied on company workers, critics, vendors and consultants.

The company, however, defended its security practices.

The world’s largest retailer declined to comment on specific allegations made by 19-year veteran Bruce Gabbard to the Wall Street Journal in a report published Wednesday. Wal-Mart reiterated that it had fired Gabbard, 44, and his supervisor last month for violating company policy by recording phone calls and intercepting pager messages.

Gabbard was fired after recording phone calls to and from a New York Times reporter and intercepting pager messages.

Wal-Mart made the case public last month and denied Gabbard’s claims that his actions were the result of pressure from Kenneth Senser, a former senior CIA and FBI official who has headed Wal-Mart’s office of global security since 2003.

Some 106,000 jobs added during March

Companies in the U.S. added 106,000 jobs in March, a private report based on payroll data showed Wednesday.

The increase followed a revised gain of 65,000 that was more than initially estimated, according to ADP Employer Services. The report is based on data from 364,000 businesses with about 22 million workers on their payrolls.

Unemployment close to a five-year low and rising incomes are propelling consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the economy, as housing and manufacturing struggle, economists said. A Labor Department report in two days is forecast to show hiring accelerated last month.

Barnes & Noble finds wrongly dated options

Barnes & Noble, the world’s largest book retailer, said an internal investigation found “numerous instances” of improperly dated stock options in the past 10 years that may have boosted their value by $45.5 million.

The company found no evidence of fraud and said it wouldn’t need to restate financial results. Some executives have voluntarily agreed to repay the company for the inflated gains, New York-based Barnes & Noble said Wednesday in a statement.

The review determined that the value of options awarded to some 3,300 employees was inflated by timing the grants to coincide with days when the stock price was low. The company will take a $200,000 charge in 2006’s fourth quarter related to the options. The cost isn’t material to earnings, it said.

SAN FRANCISCO

Calculator cowboys, ready your key fingers

Obsessing over pocket calculators might not be the hippest hobby for today’s online generation, but Hewlett-Packard Co. is hoping a quirky contest will draw out their bravest fans.

The Palo Alto-based technology company is marking its 35th year in the hand-held calculator business by encouraging the gadget’s most devoted fans to submit short YouTube-style documentary films conveying their affinity for the devices.

Eight finalists will win a trip to Hollywood this summer for the HP Golden Calculator Awards ceremony, and the audience favorite wins a $3,000 high-definition plasma television set.

NEW YORK

Bond prices increase on economic data

U.S. Treasury bond prices ended higher Wednesday following the day’s overall weaker U.S. economic data.

At 5 p.m. EDT, the 10-year Treasury note was up $1.25 per $1,000 in face value, or 0.13 points, from its level at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Its yield, which moves in the opposite direction, fell to 4.65 percent from 4.67 percent.

The 30-year bond rose 0.13 points. Its yield fell to 4.84 percent from 4.85 percent.