Procter & Gamble Co. has acquired HDS Cosmetics Lab Inc., the maker of dermatological skin care products, in a bid to expand its burgeoning beauty business into high-end, specialized lines.

HDS makes Doctor's Dermatology Formula, or DDF. Procter acquired the firm for an undisclosed sum from North Castle Partners, a private equity firm in Greenwich, Conn.

The DDS brand, identified by its simply designed modular packaging, will not change. But Procter said it does plan to add innovations and marketing expertise and take the line to global markets where it is not now sold. Procter's beauty business, which includes Olay and Pantene, operates in almost 130 countries and generated fiscal 2005-'06 sales of more than $21 billion.

"The addition of DDF to our existing portfolio provides us with the ideal opportunity to reach new consumers in new channels," Paolo DeCesare, president of P&G Global Skincare, said in a press release.

ABOUT GLUTEN-FREE SOURCE

Details: All the products in the store are gluten-free. Fresh-baked goodies are sold three out of four weekends a month. Call or visit the Web site for specific dates. Inventory includes everything from cereal to cake mix.

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Treatment: There is no cure, but many people diagnosed with celiac disease can lead healthy, normal lives by following a gluten-free diet, which means no products that come from wheat, rye or barley.

R-C Midday report

Genoans are seeking emergency repairs to the Town Church after a furnace failed and resulted in frozen pipes.
The Genoa Town Board meets 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to deal with the $2,575 emergency repair of the furnace and deal with repairs to the buildings pipes and fire sprinkler system.
Town Board members gather in the Genoa Town Meeting Room.

Skin care joins allergy treatment
Dr. Steven Brown and the staff at Alpine Medical Associates in Minden Village added skin care to the other services internal medicine and allergy testing they provide. Treatments are available for sun damage, acne, eczema and the removal of hair, tattoos and spider veins. Call 782-9118.

Road work
Highway 395 south is down to one lane through Minden for roadwork near Church Street.

Suspect sought in city shooting

LEOMINSTER -- Police are searching for a young Hispanic male who allegedly fired two gunshots Tuesday morning near a Central Village maintenance worker who witnessed him kicking at a door.

The maintenance worker saw the suspect kicking an exterior door at the Central Street housing complex at about 9:35 a.m., Det. Scott A. Wolferseder said.

When the maintenance worker -- who had been riding a golf cart -- attempted to question the man, the suspect pulled out a handgun, Wolferseder said.

"The maintenance guy dove off the golf cart, and then he heard two shots," Wolferseder said.

Police released a composite sketch of the suspect based on an interview with the victim.

He is estimated to be between 15 and 25 years old, with a slender build and weighing 150 to 175 pounds.