NEW YORK – Verizon now offers consumers and businesses in North Carolina and 15 other states a new choice in super-high-speed Internet access with the addition of a maximum connection speed of 3 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and 768 Kbps (kilobits per second) upstream to its Verizon Online DSL service offerings.

SANFORD – The Pantry, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTRY), the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., today announced financial results for its fourth fiscal quarter and year ended Sept. 30, 2004. The quarter and year included 14 and 53 weeks, respectively, one more week than the comparable periods in fiscal 2003.

GREENSBORO – Top officials from nine companies listened attentively as North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Jim Fain announced the three winners of this year’s North Carolina International Community and Economic Development Awards at a luncheon ceremony today at the Koury Convention Center.

WAKE FOREST – Sprint announced today plans that will make it the first major telecommunications provider to offer complete, end-to-end management of wireless devices and services for business customers.

LAURINBURG – Ratings by seniors at St. Andrews Presbyterian College place the institution in the 90th percentile of all colleges and universities nationwide in four of five categories according to a survey released today by the National Survey of Student Engagement.

LILLINGTON – Saab Barracuda, a Swedish company that employs 215 people in Lillington, has been named as a finalist for the 2004 North Carolina International Community and Economic Development Awards.

ROCKY MOUNT – RBC Centura, the Canadian-owned banking platform of RBC Financial Group in the U.S., has been named as a finalist for the 2004 North Carolina International Community and Economic Development Awards.

RALEIGH – Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN) today reported ongoing earnings of $244 million, or $1.01 per share, for the third quarter of 2004, compared with ongoing earnings of $305 million, or $1.28 per share, for the same period last year.

FAYETTEVILLE – A Japanese company announced today that it will invest $26 million to build a new plant that will initially employ 21 people and produce pharmaceutical and food-grade gelatin for domestic and international markets.

DUNN – New Century Bancorp (OTC Bulletin Board: NCBC), the holding company for New Century Bank and New Century Bank of Fayetteville, reported today that net income for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $661,000, an increase of 128 percent over the $290,000 reported for the same quarter last year.

ROCKINGHAM – LongLeaf Community Bank announced today that it has added “The Internet Banker” product that enables customers to pay bills online, check their transaction history, check their balance, and move money between checking and savings accounts.

ERWIN – The Harnett Forward Together Committee, a private, nonprofit organization that promotes economic development in Harnett County, has agreed to purchase the Swift Denim Weave plant and plans to position the building to attract new industry to the area.

FAYETTEVILLE – The Downtown Development Corporation announced today that seven new businesses have signed leases within the Self-Help building at 100 Hay Street, bringing to nine the number of new businesses that have relocated to downtown Fayetteville since Sept. 1.

CHARLOTTE – North and South Carolina are now among the states in the nation to benefit from a program that will provide improved communications to emergency response personnel and community leaders.

CHAPEL HILL – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina’s net income for the nine months ending Sept. 30, 2004, declined 16 percent, compared with the same period in 2003. The state’s leading health insurer reported net income of $145.5 million for the period ending Sept. 30, 2004, compared with net income of $173.1 million for the same period last year.