ASHEBORO – The General Assembly has agreed to provide the North Carolina Zoo with $3,456,000 to address some of the zoo’s most pressing capital needs.

SANFORD – Wyeth Biotech, which manufactures pediatric vaccine components, has started construction on a $50 million administration building to provide additional permanent space for its rapidly-expanding operation.

PINEHURST – World Golf Tour, the world’s most authentic online golf experience, today announced a partnership with Pinehurst Resort in which two of the resort’s eight golf courses – No. 2 and No. 8 – will be recreated for virtual play.

SANFORD – The Pantry, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTRY), the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., today announced financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended June 28.

LAURINBURG – St. Andrews Presbyterian College has again been named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s top 248 liberal arts colleges.

RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley announced today that Angier and five other North Carolina towns have been selected to participate in the North Carolina Small Town Main Street Program, an initiative for smaller cities that focuses on creating new jobs and investment by helping revitalize downtown areas.

ASHEBORO – Polymer Concepts, Inc. of Randleman and Sapona Plastics, LLC of Asheboro announced that Polymer Concepts has merged it’s molding business into Sapona Plastics.

RALEIGH – Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN) announced second-quarter net losses of $193 million, or 75 cents per share, compared with net losses of $47 million, or 19 cents per share, for the same period last year.

FAYETTEVILLE – Panera Bread announced a new agreement with Breadwinners of the Triangle, LLC, to develop additional bakery-cafes in Fayetteville and three other markets in North Carolina.

FRANKLINVILLE – X-Spooler Inc., which engineers, designs and manufactures specialty machinery for the electronic cable industry, has purchased the former Whit Corporation facility on U.S. 64.

DUNN – New Century Bancorp (NASDAQ: NCBC), the holding company for New Century Bank and New Century Bank South, reported a net loss for the quarter ended June 30 of $197,000, compared to net income of $1.3 million for the same period in 2006.

ELIZABETHTOWN – North Carolina’s Southeast, which includes Cumberland, Hoke, Scotland and Richmond counties in the Sandhills, announced today that it received a $75,000 contribution to fund new hardware, software, services and training.

PINEHURST – The Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic announced that all playing spots and sponsorship opportunities have been sold for the annual cancer fundraiser, but tickets remain available for the Aug. 26 event at Pinehurst Resort.

LAURINBURG – After serving as the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce President and the City of Laurinburg and Scotland County’s Economic Developer for 20 years, Jim Frank Henderson announced his retirement today.

DUNN – First South Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSBK), parent holding company of First South Bank, announced the opening of a new First South Bank Loan Production Office at 904 A West Broad Street.

RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today announced he will seek new legislation in the 2008 session of the General Assembly to secure major manufacturing investments from existing industries in disadvantaged parts of the state.

TROY – The Board of Directors of First Bancorp, the parent company of First Bank, has declared a cash dividend of 19 cents per share payable Oct. 25 to shareholders of record as of Sept. 30.

SANFORD – The Pantry, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTRY), the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program of up to $35 million for each of fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2008 but not to exceed an aggregate of $50 million.

RALEIGH – The state tax deduction for North Carolina’s 529 college savings plan has been expanded by the N.C. General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Mike Easley.

RALEIGH – Coastal Federal Credit Union, the eighth-largest financial institution in North Carolina, turned 40 today and the anniversary will be highlighted in the company's marketing and member communications through the remainder of 2007.

SANFORD – With its new facility constructed, Challenge Printing Co. is preparing to expand from its current location in Broadway to a state-of-the-art building in the Lee County Industrial Park.

BUIES CREEK – The Campbell University School of Pharmacy recently held a welcome back luncheon for several corporate administrators of the Rite Aid Corporation, which purchased Brooks Eckard earlier this year.

WINSTON-SALEM – BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT) ranks highest in customer service satisfaction among primary mortgage servicing companies, according to a nationwide study by J.D. Power and Associates.

RALEIGH – AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has announced plans to invest approximately $350 million throughout the next several years in fiber network upgrades, further broadband deployment and Internet-based technologies to bring new services, including cutting-edge television, to North Carolina consumers.