Staff reports

P&G expands profit estimates

Procter & Gamble Co. Wednesday said profits for the second quarter ended Dec. 31 would exceed current Wall Street estimates by 2 cents to 4 cents a share. In an announcement after the stock market closed, P&G said its volume before the effect of acquisitions grew 9 percent during the quarter, higher than the top end of previous estimates of 7 percent to 8 percent growth. The company will release official second-quarter earnings Jan. 28.

Union claim sends Cintas down

Shares of Cintas Corp. slipped 4 percent Wednesday after the unions attempting to organize the Mason uniform supplier's workers said the federal government charged with company with "major violations of law.'' Cintas shares closed down $1.95 at $46.10 in heavy volume after the announcement by UNITE and the Teamsters. A Cintas spokesman said the union's news release was "highly exaggerated.'' The National Labor Relations Board has made no findings, he said, but merely consolidated seven unfair labor practices complaints filed by the unions and set a hearing for April 26. After the unions launched a massive organizing campaign early last year, they filed more than 100 unfair labor practice complaints against Cintas. More than two-thirds have been settled or withdrawn, the Cintas spokesman said.

Army hires local game consultant

The U.S. Army has hired a Cincinnati company to ask online game players what they think of the branch's own game, America's Army. The company, Intelliseek of Over-the-Rhine, said it will gather reactions and insights from players to help the Army upgrade the popular game (see www.thearmygame.com). Intelliseek normally helps clients cull useful information from unstructured masses of data.