Business news in brief

Johnson & Johnson

is creating a position to oversee companywide quality, manufacturing, and compliance issues. The health-care giant's once-stellar reputation for quality has been tarnished by repeated recalls of nonprescription medicines. J&J on Wednesday named corporate vice president Ajit Shetty to oversee the push for quality improvements in its pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer-products groups. Since September, the New Brunswick, N.J., company has announced eight recalls. The recalls, which included liquid Tylenol for children and infants, involved products made at the Fort Washington factory shut down in April - and expected to remain closed for another year while it is upgraded - plus another factory in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico. Food and Drug Administration inspections also uncovered problems at a factory in Lancaster, which is run in a joint venture with

Merck & Co. Inc.

- AP

New Jersey's unemployment rate edged higher in July, increasing one-tenth of a percentage point to 9.7 percent, the state said. The increase was the first in the state since the rate reached a recessionary high of 10 percent in December. The loss was mainly due to a decline in public-sector payrolls at the federal and local government levels, the

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development

said. According to preliminary estimates, total nonfarm wage and salary employment in the state fell 21,200 jobs in July, from June, to 3.84 million. The public sector accounted for 18,100 of those lost jobs, the state said. Average hourly earnings decreased 9 cents, to $18.85, the department said, and weekly earnings were down $3.64, to $763.43. Compared with July of last year, the unadjusted workweek was lower by one hour, average hourly earnings increased 55 cents, and weekly earnings were up $3.98.

- Reid Kanaley

Pennsylvania and New Jersey will receive $76.8 million in federal stimulus money to build broadband and wireless networks, Vice President Biden said. In New Jersey, $39.7 million will allow public safety organizations in the northern part of the state to deploy an interoperable wireless public safety broadband network. In Pennsylvania, $36.4 million will allow

Keystone Wireless L.L.C.

to offer 3G broadband service to nearly a million people in central Pennsylvania counties, including Berks County. A $784,000 project in Pittsburgh will provide Internet computer access to low-income neighborhoods.

- Jane M. Von Bergen

Met-Pro Corp.

, Harleysville, said its Strobic Air Corp. subsidiary has received a $950,000 order for laboratory fume hood exhaust equipment for a U.S. health facility. The company did not identify the facility that placed the order. Met-Pro, with annual revenue of about $83 million, makes product-recovery, pollution-control, and fluid-handling equipment.

- Reid Kanaley

Pennsylvania State University

has established an education and research center devoted to natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. University president Graham Spanier said the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research would work with state agencies, communities, industry, and environmental groups to protect water resources, forests, and transportation infrastructure.

- AP

Seniors will see a modest increase in their Medicare prescription premiums next year, but benefits will also improve, federal health officials said Wednesday. The average monthly premium charged by Medicare drug plans for standard coverage will rise to an estimated $30 in 2011, an increase of $1 over 2010, or about 3 percent, said Medicare administrator Don Berwick. But consumer advocates said seniors needed to check their particular plan to avoid unpleasant surprises that may not be revealed in such a broad estimate of average premiums. - AP

Deere & Co.

said its third-quarter profit grew 47 percent because U.S. and Canadian farmers bought enough of the company's large equipment to offset a sharp downturn in Europe, but Deere kept its forecast for the year conservative. The company reported $617 million net income, or $1.44 a share, in the quarter that ended July 31. That was up from $420 million, or 99 cents a share, a year earlier. Deere said global revenue spiked 16 percent to $6.84 billion. It said it now expected its sales to grow about 12 percent in fiscal 2010, in line with the 11 percent to 13 percent range Deere offered in May. Deere also said it expected fourth-quarter net income to increase about 32 percent over a year earlier to $375 million.

- AP

American Airlines has found another fee. The Fort Worth, Texas, airline said it now was charging $19 to $39 for "Express Seats" - the spots in the first few rows of coach that include bulkhead seats. The carrier, which is operated by

AMR Corp.

, is following several other airlines that already charge for special seats.

US Airways Group Inc.

,

UAL Corp.'s

United Airlines,

Continental Airlines Inc.

,

JetBlue Airways Corp.

,

Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc.

,

Spirit Airlines Inc.

, and

AirTran Holdings Inc.

all have some seats that cost extra.

- AP

The average seven-day yield on taxable money market funds was 0.04 percent this week, unchanged from last week, according to

iMoneyNet Inc.

A seven-day yield is an annual yield that is based on the preceding seven days' level of income by the fund. The average yield on tax-free funds was 0.03 percent this week, unchanged from last week.

- Rhonda Dickey

Target Corp.'s

second-quarter net income rose 14.3 percent even as it struggled with weaker-than-expected revenue because results were boosted by cost-cutting and improved business at its credit card operation. The discounter offered a profit outlook Wednesday that matched Wall Street analysts' views. But Target offered a conservative outlook for a key measure of revenue even as it hopes to drive more customers to its stores with its emphasis on food and its 5 percent discount for holders of its store credit card, set to start in October.

- AP