IN BRIEF

Decision may be close on new operator for Aqueduct

New York Gov. David Paterson hopes to select a casino operator for the Aqueduct Race Track "in the next week or so."

According to New York media, the state is nearing a March 31 deadline to have a contract in place with the operator of a planned slot machine-only casino at the New York City raceway.

Casino operators still competing for Aqueduct are Harrah's Entertainment, Hard Rock, Navegante Group, MGM Mirage and Penn National Gaming. Wynn Resorts Ltd. dropped out of the bidding in the fall.

The racino operator is expected to pay the state upfront fees of $200 million.

Paterson said he may be forced to announce his choice sooner rather than later if legislative leaders can't come up with a preferred candidate.

The process has been in the works for almost a year.

Five groups, all partnered with different casino operators, are in the running to operate an Aqueduct racino with 4,500 slot machine-like video lottery terminals.

Default notices increase for commercial property loans

Nevada Title Co. reported 49 notices of default on commercial property loans from Dec. 2-18, compared with 39 notices in the previous reporting period.

Community Bank of Nevada originated the two largest loans that went into default, one for $29.1 million for 9.5 acres of vacant land owned by Buffalo Badura Commercial and the other for $22 million for 18.3 acres of vacant land owned by CK West.

Twenty of the default notices were for vacant land; 11 were for professional buildings. Several retail stores and shopping centers were also on the list.

WASHINGTON

IRS will require tax preparers to take test, register officially

The Internal Revenue Service plans to require tax preparers to pass a test and register with the government to better police a largely unregulated industry used by most taxpayers.

The Internal Revenue Service says there could be more than a million people offering tax preparation services. Most offer sound advice, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman says, but many don't and the agency knows little about them.

The new regulations, announced Monday, won't be in effect for the current filing season -- individual tax returns are due April 15. But Shulman said tax preparers will be held to higher standards in future years as the IRS steps up its oversight to help reduce fraud and errors.

SEATTLE

Reports say Apple poised to unveil tablet-style gadget

Speculation intensified Monday that Apple Inc. will soon unveil a tablet-style gadget for consuming music, movies, books and other media.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is planning to take the wraps off such a device this month and begin shipping it in March.

The gadget, which online pundits have at different times christened the iTablet and the iSlate, is to have a 10-inch to 11-inch touch screen, a bit smaller than those on Apple's MacBook laptops but larger than the iPhone's, said the Journal, citing unnamed people briefed on the matter.

Analysts have predicted Apple's new gadget could cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000, with or without a cellular data plan included.