CHARLOTTE – High net-worth consumers rated BB&T Wealth Management the most prestigious regional bank wealth manager in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status Index survey.

CHARLOTTE – Wachovia Corporation (NYSE: WB) announced that its board of directors has declared dividends on two series of preferred stock.

ARCHDALE – Thomas Built Buses, Inc. recently secured a $90 million contract to supply Type D, Saf-T-Liner flat-front transit-style buses to First Student, Inc. over the next three years.

SANFORD – The Pantry, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTRY), the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended March 27.

RALEIGH – Fayetteville’s city government earns a D-plus grade, when it comes to making budget and spending information available online. Cumberland County and the county school system earn C-minus marks, according to a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report.

WINSTON-SALEM – Recreational shopping is on the decline for women, and the economy is partly to blame.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering to state and local governments a template for resolving regulatory enforcement issues involving small businesses by establishing their own versions of SBA’s Office of the National Ombudsman.

WASHINGTON – Entrepreneurs considering franchising can now access a new online course from the U.S. Small Business Administration and FranNet to help them navigate the competitive franchise industry.

RALEIGH – The 13-county Research Triangle Regional Partnership added nearly 102,000 jobs in the first four years of implementing a five-year comprehensive regional economic development strategy.

RALEIGH – Progress Energy Carolinas has proposed to the N.C. Utilities Commission three additional programs to promote energy efficiency and demand-side management – underscoring the utility’s commitment to creating a comprehensive portfolio of programs to appeal to customers of all sizes, budgets and needs.

RALEIGH – Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN) announced first-quarter GAAP earnings of $209 million, or 81 cents per share, compared with GAAP earnings of $275 million, or $1.08 per share, for the same period last year.

DUNN – New Century Bancorp (NASDAQ: NCBC), the holding company for New Century Bank, has reported a net loss of $90,000 for the quarter ended March 31, or basic and diluted losses per share of 1 cent, compared to net income of $1.3 million, or basic and diluted earnings per share of 20 cents and 19 cents, respectively, for the same period in 2007.

GREENVILLE – The State Employees Association of North Carolina has voted to affiliate with the Service Employees International Union.

LILLINGTON – Heading into its eighth year, the nonprofit Harnett Forward Together Committee has established a new logo to represent its goals and purpose.

DURHAM – Expectations for the U.S. economy remain negative among senior-level executive CPAs, according to the second quarter 2008 Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

RALEIGH – Progress Energy Chairman, President and CEO Bill Johnson has told shareholders that the company is focused on securing a bright future for its customers, shareholders and employees.

CHAPEL HILL – Everyone is talking about the sluggish economy, housing slump, credit crisis, weak labor market and flagging consumer confidence, but new Yankelovich research shows just how quickly consumers’ anxieties have intensified – and which issues are causing them the most concern.

CHARLOTTE – In this challenging economic environment, as in any environment, Wachovia Bank is looking for ways to support small business owners, ensuring that they look to every area of their operations to cut costs, including those associated with their checking accounts.

CHAPEL HILL – The National Committee for Quality Assurance has awarded Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina full accreditation for the company’s Blue Options preferred provider organization.

CHAPEL HILL – Bridges to Excellence, the nation’s largest effort to reward physicians for delivering high-quality care, announced today that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has received BTE Certification.

RALEIGH – Workers commute to jobs throughout the 13 counties that comprise the Research Triangle Regional Partnership with little or no regard for county lines.

SANFORD – Central Carolina Community College has narrowed the search for its next president to six finalists, out of the original 72 applications received from as far away as California.