COMPANY NEWS

REPORT: JOHNSON & JOHNSON NEARS DEAL TO BUY PFIZER UNIT

Drug maker Johnson & Johnson is nearing a deal to purchase Pfizer Inc.’s consumer products unit, a move that would cost over $16 billion, the New York Times reported on its Web site yesterday evening. An official announcement was expected by this morning. According to the Times, which attributed its report to anonymous sources involved in the deal, several bidders vied for the unit, which was put up for sale in February.

– Associated Press

GROCERY STORE EMPLOYEES’ STRIKE AVOIDED

Approximately 16,000 grocery store employees avoided a strike after the stores reached agreements with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500,according to Reuters. The union reached an agreement with Pathmark Stores Inc., Ahold NV’s Stop & Shop, and King Kullen Grocery Co. Inc. on Friday.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

CITYWIDE

LAWMAKERS CALL FOR CELL PHONE SERVICE ON SUBWAY PLATFORMS

Rep. Anthony Wiener and a state senator, John Sabini, are calling on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to install cell phone service on subway platforms, more than three years after Mr. Wiener first raised the issue. Presenting a timeline of both the progress he has made in trying to persuade the MTA to provide service, and the terrorist subway attacks in Moscow, Madrid, and London, Mr. Wiener yesterday called cell phone service “absolutely vital” and said only the MTA’s “bureaucratic foot-dragging” was holding it back. In a statement released yesterday, the MTA said it’s negotiating with several companies to provide service on subway platforms.

– Special to the Sun

BLOOMBERG FIGHTS TO USE EMINENT DOMAIN

Don’t expect Mayor Bloomberg to let up on his fight to use eminent domain to seize private property in so-called “blighted” neighborhoods just because President Bush issued an executive order on Friday saying that federal agencies cannot seize private property other than for public use. Mr. Bloomberg’s spokesman, Stuart Loeser, said yesterday there is “no need for further federal action.” The federal order came a year after the Supreme Court ruled that the city of New London, Conn., had the right to use eminent domain power to take property from homeowners and give it to a developer. Mr. Bloomberg has argued that the responsible use of eminent domain in depressed areas is crucial for economic development.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

QUINN TO BE HONORED AT FUND-RAISER FOR DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

The City Council speaker, Christine Quinn, will be among the honorees tonight at the first major fund-raiser for the Kings County Democratic Committee, under its new leader, Vito Lopez. The $300-per-person event at Giando’s on the Water starts at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Lopez replaced the party’s former leader, Clarence Norman Jr., late last year after Mr. Norman was found guilty of misusing public funds. Mr. Norman is also at the center of a probe into the selling of judgeships in the borough. Playing off the new leadership theme, the committee wrote, “Brooklyn’s Back!!!” on the invitations.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

ALBANY

SCHUMER PROPOSES RESTRICTING SALES OF CYANIDE

Senator Schumer proposed a bill yesterday that would place restrictions on the sales of cyanide, after the recent report of the aborted Al Qaeda plot to release cyanide on New York City’s subway system Mr. Schumer said there are no restrictions on the sales of cyanide, which is available on the Internet and from hardware stores, electronics stores, and hobby stores. The bill would require retailers to keep records on the sales of cyanide.The purchaser’s identity and the intended use for the cyanide will be recorded, and sellers would be required to have a license to sell the chemical.

– Special to the Sun

SPITZER ENDORSES ANDREWS

The state attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, endorsed Carl Andrew, a Democrat, for Congress yesterday, citing his “effusive personality” and ability to “get things done.” “The issue here is not about Clarence Norman,” Mr. Andrews said yesterday referring to his friend, the deposed Brooklyn Democratic Party leader, Mr. Norman. Mr. Andrews invited The New York Sun, which has documented the probe into Brooklyn corruption, to examine his personal financial disclosure statements, which he filed since becoming a school board member when he was 21-years-old.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

QUEENS

PLANE DIVERTED TO JFK BECAUSE OF ALTERCATION ONBOARD

A fight broke out in the first minutes of a flight to Puerto Rico yesterday, causing the plane to be diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport, officials said. An FBI spokeswoman, Christine Monaco, said yesterday that three women were questioned.

– Associated Press

POLICE BLOTTER

TWO SHOT IN BROOKLYN

Two people were shot in Brooklyn early yesterday morning, police officials said. A 23-year-old man was shot in the back and a 29-year-old woman was shot in the ankle, police said. The shooting happened at 3:15 a.m. in front of 348 New Lots Ave. in Brooklyn. The victims were taken to Brookdale hospital, where they were listed in stable condition. Both victims refused to cooperate with a police investigation, officials said.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun