The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Merck Unit Suspended for Ethics Breach

Merck & Co.'s U.K. unit was suspended by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry for at least three months for violating the group's ethics code, the ABPI said Monday. The unit, Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd., offered a nurse-audit disease- management program for hypertension and diabetes to primary-care doctors prescribing its drug Cozaar, the ABPI said. The trade group acted after getting a complaint from an ex-Merck sales representative in March.

Las Vegas Going After New Jersey's Biotech Firms ; Ad Campaign Talks Up Sin City's Business Climate

TRENTON Competition among states for biotech companies with high- paying jobs appears to have reached a new level, with Las Vegas targeting other states first California and now New Jersey in the high-stakes battle for up-and-coming companies. For years, state economic development agencies have been offering companies that move in or expand there packages of tax breaks, worker training grants, low-interest loans and other incentives in an effort to become one of the country's biotech hubs,...

Movers

GoAmerica, Hackensack, provider of online and wireless telecommunications relay services, has appointed Jan Dehesh to its board of directors. Dehesh currently runs her own wireless/ telecommunications consulting firm, Dehesh International. From 1987 to 2004, she served in several executive roles at Qualcomm, most recently as vice president of business development. The company also has announced the retirement of Mark Kristoff from the board after 10 years' membership.

Gourmet-Day! Gourmet-Day! ; Potential Ban On Foie Gras has Supplier Worried

Some of the choicest delicacies found in American restaurants sit amid 40,000 square feet of refrigerated space near downtown Newark. Crates of wild mushrooms shiitake, morel and porcini will leave the warehouse of D'Artagnan, a supplier and distributor of high-end food products, to end up in many of the country's top kitchens and retail stores.

N.J. Briefs

Curtiss-Wright gets Army gear contract ROSELAND Curtiss-Wright Corp. said it will help make Army vehicles for a Michigan-based military contractor.

Xanadu Visionary Quits Post ; Siegel Steps Down As Developer's Ceo

Laurence Siegel stepped down as Mills Corp.'s chief executive officer Monday, but his 12-year quest to build a giant retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands appears likely to live on. The announcement by Mills which came as Colony Capital Acquisitions tried to put the finishing touches on a takeover of the $2 billion Xanadu project noted that Siegel "may join the new joint venture."

Drs Cuts 40 Jobs, Revamps Structure ; Announces Four Operating Segments

DRS Technologies is reorganizing into four operating segments and has cut 40 to 45 jobs to reduce costs and better serve its customers, the company said Monday. The Parsippany-based defense contractor said its reorganization will bring together operations with "similar customers and complementary lines of business."

National Briefs

$15B offer made for Harrah's LAS VEGAS Harrah's Entertainment received a $15.05 billion offer for the company from two private-equity firms in what would be the biggest deal ever for a casino operator and the fifth-largest leveraged buyout in history.

Why Pay More? The Answer Is Blowing in the Wind

Peco, my electricity supplier, has an offer I could easily refuse: Buy the same amount of power I'm getting now, but pay more for it. At my house, this $7.62-a-month premium would boost the power bill about 4 percent.

Chase, Wachovia Deals Extend Banks' [Corrected 10/04/06] ; North Jersey Presence Branches, Atm Networks Added

Two big banks said Monday they completed deals that significantly expand their turf in Bergen County. JPMorgan Chase & Co. closed Sunday on its acquisition of Bank of New York Co.'s retail banking business, giving Chase 339 new branches, including 93 in New Jersey. More than 30 of the acquired branches are in Bergen.

Their Goal Is Working ; Friendship House Helps Clients Become Employees

Beverly and Milton Diamond know what they're looking for in an employee. Honesty ranks high.

Stocks Retreat From Near-Record

NEW YORK Stocks reversed course, turning lower Monday after the Dow Jones industrial average briefly flirted with its all-time high close. After making an attempt earlier to reach for its record trading high 11,750.28 in January 2000, the Dow slipped 5.36, or 0.05 percent, to 11,673.71 in late trading.

Asset Allocation Can Reduce Risk

An investment strategy known as asset allocation can help reduce the risk to an investor's total portfolio. The concept involves distributing investment dollars among a variety of options, such as bonds, equities and mutual funds. Several Web sites offer advice on asset allocation. Here are a few with useful information: Bankrate.com