FAYETTEVILLE - The Women's Business Center helped entrepreneurs open nine new businesses in Fayetteville in fiscal 2003, provided consulting to 43 existing companies and had 563 men and women attend its business-related seminars and classes.

SANFORD - The Pantry, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTRY), a leading convenience store retailer, reported today that it expects fiscal 2003 EBITDA and earnings per share to exceed previously released guidance.

PINEHURST – Golf course management firm Signet Golf Associates has added Anderson Creek Golf Club in Spring Lake to its list of clientele.

SANFORD – Lee County economic leaders are trying to attract a FedEx regional distribution center to the Sandhills, hoping to capitalize on the opposition the worldwide delivery service faces as it tries to build a distribution hub in Greensboro.

ASHEBORO – The boards of directors of the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce and the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation are campaigning to have Congress adopt new laws and spend the money needed to rebuild the American economy.

RAMSEUR – Ramtex Inc., which last month cut production and laid off 120 workers to combat the flood of cheap textile imports, plans to idle another 90 workers in the coming weeks as part of a restructuring.

DUNN – The board of directors of the newly formed New Century Bancorp has approved an 11-for-10 stock split to be effected in the form of a 10 percent stock dividend.

FAYETTEVILLE – North Carolina Natural Gas has been sold by Raleigh-based Progress Energy Inc. (NYSE: PGN) to Charlotte-based Piedmont Natural Gas Co. (NYSE: PNY) for $425 million.

FAYETTEVILLE – United Steelworkers of America members at the Kelly-Springfield Tire plant in Fayetteville joined workers at 13 other plants nationwide in ratifying a new three-year contract with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.

ERWIN – State officials late Friday turned down an application by Good Hope Hospital to build a $33.5 million hospital in Lillington, saying there wasn’t enough evidence that Harnett County needed such a large hospital.

TROY – First Bancorp (Nasdaq: FBNC), the parent company of First Bank, is taking the unusual step of refuting a rumor of a potential merger transaction.

LAURINBURG - First National Bank and Trust Company will begin construction next month of a new community office that won't look or feel like a bank.

FAYETTEVILLE - The city of Fayetteville has earned "success story" honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the site clean-up and construction of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum downtown.

FAYETTEVILLE – School Link and Advanced Internet Technologies (AIT), both of which are headquartered in Fayetteville, ranked 13th and 16th, respectively, in this year’s North Carolina Technology Fast 50 list.

FAYETTEVILLE - Expansion Management magazine has ranked Fayetteville No. 1 as a potential business location with the lowest construction costs.

FAYETTEVILLE – CBL & Associates Properties Inc. has completed the acquisition of Cross Creek Mall, the first of four regional malls the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based developer agreed in July to purchase from partnerships managed by Faison Enterprises of Charlotte.

SANFORD - Crescent State Bank announced today that will open a branch in Sanford at Simpson Executive Center while the company searches for a permanent site.

FAYETTEVILLE – Consolidated Freightways plans to sell its former Fayetteville distribution center to the highest bidder at a Sept. 10 auction.

CARY – Crescent Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CRFN) of Cary and Centennial Bank of Southern Pines announced today the completion of the merger of Centennial with Crescent State Bank, the subsidiary bank of Crescent Financial.

RALEIGH – The board of directors of Capital Bank Corp. (Nasdaq: CBKN) has approved a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 5 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on Oct. 17 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 3.

SANFORD - About 35 employees of Alltel (NYSE: AT) in Sanford that are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in North Carolina have approved a new three-year contract.

ASHEBORO - The Board of Directors of FNB Corp. (NASDAQ: FNBN) has declared a regular quarterly dividend of 14 cents per share, which is the same rate as paid in the prior quarter.

FAYETTEVILLE – A consultant hired by the Downtown Development Corp. has identified three projects that would help the city begin to change its downtown image and attract residents, potential investors and new businesses.