CHESTER, W.Va. -- Forty-seven people are out of work at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort in Chester.

General Manager Jack Sours sent a letter to employees Friday, telling them that's how many people were laid off last week.

The Weirton Daily Times says the letter blamed the layoffs on competition and falling revenues.

Track publicists did not return multiple phone calls from The Associated Press this week.

In August 2009, Mountaineer laid off 35 people. Most were administrative employees. That followed the layoffs of 175 workers in January 2009.

The casino-racetrack has long been one of the Northern Panhandle's largest employers.

Mountaineer is owned by MTR Gaming Group Inc., which recently posted a second-quarter loss of $517,000.

AK Steel raising prices on carbon steel products

WEST CHESTER, Ohio -- AK Steel Holding Corp. said Friday it is raising current spot market base prices by $40 per ton for its carbon steel products, citing increased demand and higher production costs.

The price increase is effective immediately with all new orders, the company said.

'Toy Story' star Allen becomes Chevy pitchman

DETROIT -- The star of "Home Improvement" and the "Toy Story" movies is becoming a pitchman for Chevrolet.

General Motors Co. says Tim Allen will be a spokesman for the brand and will star in a series of TV ads for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze that begin airing on Tuesday.

Allen, 57, is best-known for playing a tool buff in the TV series "Home Improvement." He was also the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the "Toy Story" trilogy.

The Cruze ads will feature voiceover from Allen and will offer comparisons of the Cruze with competitor models. The Cruze, a compact sedan, is a key vehicle for GM as it aims to compete in the small car segment. That segment is dominated by competitors like the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla.

Union vote date set for Delta flight attendants

MINNEAPOLIS -- Flight attendants at Delta Air Lines will begin voting later this month on whether to join a union.

The vote will be the first under new rules that are widely seen as making it easier for transportation unions to win.

The Association of Flight Attendants says the voting will run from Sept. 29 through Nov. 3. The date was set on Friday by the National Mediation Board, which oversees union elections at airlines.

About two-thirds of Delta flight attendants are currently nonunion. But their co-workers who came from the old Northwest Airlines are in the Association of Flight Attendants. The vote will determine whether the entire group is in a union, or out.

Delta Air Lines Inc., based in Atlanta, wants workers to vote against unionizing.

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