Women's Bar Association names Huston president

THE REGION

Julia Huston, a partner at the Boston intellectual-property law firm Bromberg & Sunstein, has been named president of the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts. Huston, who cochairs the firm's trademark and copyright practice groups, took the helm of the 1,300-member organization this week. During her yearlong presidency, Huston said, she intends to support legislation that would protect women who nurse in public and oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. (Sacha Pfeiffer)

Union locals representing 43,000 Stop & Shop supermarket workers in southern New England are scheduled to vote tomorrow on whether to approve a three-year contract, possibly without endorsement by union leaders, or go on strike. Negotiations between the grocery chain and the United Food and Commercial Workers continue without resolution over issues including healthcare contributions, pensions, and wages. "We're either going to have a package to recommend . . . or we'll recommend . . . a strike," Rick Charette, president of Local 1445, said. (AP)

L.L. Bean Inc.'s sales topped $1.5 billion for the first time in 2006, and the board of directors was impressed enough to reward employees with $25.5 million in cash bonuses. Sales grew by 4.6 percent during the fiscal year ending Feb. 25, closing a year that saw online sales overtake traditional catalog sales. Overall, online sales grew 13 percent. The bonuses are each equal to 7.5 percent of the annual salary of eligible workers, said a spokeswoman. More than 4,900 workers are eligible. (AP)

Capitalizing on more than just popular attractions like Tanglewood and the Norman Rockwell Museum would bolster Berkshire County's economy, business and community leaders say. A two-year study released by the Berkshire Economic Development Corporation pushes for more development, support, and marketing of the area's creative and artistic resources. The so-called Berkshire Blueprint shows that about 6,000 people -- 10 percent of the workforce in Berkshire County -- are involved in some arts-related business that the report defines as a "creative cluster." (AP)

GateHouse Media Inc., a newspaper and directory publisher, said fourth-quarter profit more than doubled as sales advanced 86 percent, helped by acquisitions. Net income jumped to $7.75 million, or 23 cents a share, from $3.31 million, or 15 cents, a year earlier, Fairport, N.Y.-based GateHouse said. Revenue was $97.9 million. GateHouse, owner of more than 445 local publications, last year acquired more than 100 daily and weekly newspapers around Boston, including Boston Herald publisher Patrick Purcell's Community Newspapers Co. and Enterprise News Media LLC, which owned the Patriot Ledger of Quincy and Enterprise of Brockton. The company also boosted its dividend 5 cents to 37 cents, payable April 16 to holders of record March 30. (Bloomberg)

Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc. said chairman and chief executive Timothy L. Vaill received compensation valued at $3.3 million for 2006. The Boston bank-holding company said in a filing that Vaill's compensation included nonequity incentive plan compensation of $810,000, a salary of $620,000, stock awards valued at $508,020, and option awards valued at $328,227. . . . Boston Scientific Corp. said it wants shareholders at its annual meeting May 8 to approve a proposal that would allow employees to exchange certain stock options for deferred stock units. The Natick medical-device maker said in a filing that it seeks the changes because recent declines in its stock price have hurt its equity-compensation programs. . . . Sycamore Networks Inc. delayed filing its second-quarter financial report with the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying it needed to review the accounting and tax implications of its options review. The Chelmsford optical-networking-products company said Feb. 27 its review of past options practices was substantially complete. . . . Teledyne Technologies Inc. said its Teledyne Instruments unit agreed to acquire assets of D.G. O'Brien Inc., a Seabrook, N.H., maker of electrical and fiber optic interconnect systems. Terms were not disclosed. (Globe wire services)