COMPANY TOWN ANNEX

US West Nears Cablevision Accord: The company, after many months of negotiations, is close to striking an agreement to buy up to half of Woodbury, N.Y.-based Cablevision Systems Corp. for more than $600 million, according to executives close to the talks. US West Inc., of Englewood, Colo., which has been expanding swiftly into the cable TV business, would gain a stake in the nation’s sixth-largest cable system operator. Cablevision’s systems would provide a strategic fit with Time Warner Inc.’s cable systems. US West has a 25.5% stake in Time Warner’s cable and entertainment holdings and has been negotiating to gain a controlling stake in the company’s cable operations. Both Cablevision and US West officials declined to comment.