NEW YORK – LaBranche & Co. (LAB), the New York Stock Exchange’s (search) largest market maker, on Friday said it expects first-quarter profit to fall short of analysts’ forecasts because of weak market conditions and higher program trading (search), sending its shares down as much as 12.3 percent. New York-based …

DENVER – A woman accused of keeping an Indonesian nanny as a virtual slave for four years pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of harboring an illegal immigrant. Sarah Khonaizan, 35, faces a sentence ranging from probation to a year in prison and a fine of up to $20,000, …

BILOXI, Miss. – The Grand Casino’s Island View Hotel was demolished Sunday to make room for a new resort on the waterfront property. Workers used 400 pounds of explosives to take down the 12-story hotel, which housed 500 rooms, retail shops and a restaurant before Hurricane Katrina damaged the building …

ROCHESTER, Mich. – Automakers said Monday they are trying to get more ethanol-capable vehicles on the road quickly, but warned that consumers in the meantime should not use an E85 ethanol blend in conventional vehicles or try to convert their vehicles to use E85. “Your vehicle was built a certain …

HARTFORD, Conn. – Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman is enlisting help in his re-election campaign from former President Clinton, the man he criticized in 1998 for “disgraceful behavior” in a sex scandal with a White House intern. Clinton and Lieberman are scheduled to campaign together in Connecticut on Monday as the …

NEW CANAAN, Conn. – Cocaine and martinis On Wall Street? Nothing new there. Masters of the Universe admitting they have an alcohol problem? Not so common. Experts say more and more people in finance are seeking treatment for addiction as the global economic crisis sinks its teeth into a high-stakes …

HOLTVILLE, Calif. – A van packed with more than two dozen people crashed on a highway in the Southern California desert, killing at least two suspected illegal immigrants and critically injuring several others, officials said. The crash on westbound Interstate 8 occurred after 10 p.m. Monday when the van, followed …

A new study sheds light on lung cancer deaths in lifelong nonsmokers. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, includes these findings: Among people who never smoked cigarettes, women aren’t more likely than men to die of lung cancer. The rate of lung cancer deaths in …

COLUMBUS – Wendy’s International Inc. said Thursday it will begin frying french fries and breaded chicken items with non-hydrogenated oil, continuing a shift to offer healthier menu choices. “The trend is for a bit healthier,” said Lori Estrada, Wendy’s senior vice president for research and development. “We wanted to look …

TOKYO – The United States and Japan urged North Korea on Saturday not to proceed with reported plans to test-fire a long-range missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. But North Korean officials denied such preparations, the Kyodo News agency reported, citing an unidentified South Korean official. U.S. Ambassador to …