Economy Briefs

LAYOFFS

Sears lays off 100 at Illinois headquarters

CHICAGO | Sears laid off 100 workers at its headquarters outside of Chicago on Thursday, two months after the company got a hefty tax credit for dropping a threat to move its headquarters out of state.

Sears Holding Corp. spokesman Chris Brathwaite said the layoffs of “about 100 associates” at the company’s headquarters in Hoffman Estates took effect immediately.

Mr. Brathwaite said the job cuts do not violate the terms of a $150 million tax credit for Sears approved by the Illinois General Assembly in December after the company threatened to move its headquarters out of Illinois.

The Sears spokesman said the headquarters workforce remains above the job levels required in the legislation even with Thursday’s layoffs.

The cuts leave about 6,100 people working at the Hoffman Estates site. The deal with the state requires Sears to keep 4,250 jobs there.

AUTO INDUSTRY

Regulations approved for self-driving cars

CARSON CITY, NEV. | Nevada is envisioning a day when taxicabs might shuttle fares without a driver, or people with medical conditions that make them ineligible for a license could get around with a virtual chauffeur.

The concept took a big step when Nevada became the first state to approve regulations that spell out requirements for companies to test driverless cars on state roads.

“Then they have to take us out and prove that they can do it,” Bruce Breslow, director of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, said of the autonomous vehicles. “They’re not ready to go to market yet,”

But Nevada intends to be ready when they are, and officials hope to stay ahead of other states, such as Florida and Hawaii, that are considering similar testing regulations, Mr. Breslow said.

TOURISM

Noah’s Ark attraction gets final piece of land

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