** The state Department of Public Utilities rejected a bid by Russell Biomass to bypass local zoning laws and build a 50- megawatt, wood-burning power plant in Russell. The DPU said the plant's benefits wouldn't outweigh problems like truck traffic.

** The economic slowdown will last for a "significant" time as job losses mount and consumer confidence wanes, said Lawrence Summers, a former Treasury secretary and now a professor at Harvard University.

** Furnished Quarters, a provider of temporary furnished housing, has expanded its Boston portfolio with the addition of the Third Square luxury apartment building in Cambridge's Kendall Square.

** Generic drug giant Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. sued Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Cambridge and Novartis AG's Sandoz unit to prevent them from selling a copy of Copaxone, its first branded product.

** Linux software seller Novell Inc. reported a wider third- quarter loss because of a charge related to the Waltham firm's investments.

** American workers' confidence in the job market is as low as it was during the 2001 recession, according to a survey released by Rutgers University. When asked whether this is a bad time to find a quality job, 65 percent said it was.

- STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Inside: The U.S. housing bust is delaying some divorces because couples can't sell homes and split the money. Real Estate, Page 30.

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