The New York Times is in discussions to sell its 16 regional newspapers, including three publications in North Carolina -- The Wilmington Star-News, the Hendersonville Times-News and the Lexington Dispatch.

The company confirmed the talks with Halifax Media Holdings in a release.

The Times has made a number of cost-cutting moves in recent years, including selling its headquarters building and its ownership stake in the Boston Red Sox.

The Times, along with the entire newspaper industry, has been pummeled in recent years by a dramatic downturn in advertising spending and the ongoing shift to online.

The Times recently instituted a pay wall on its website whereby readers can read a certain number of stories for free each month before they are asked to subsribe.

Smaller regional newspapers have been hit particularly hard by the decline in classified ads.
 

A furniture manufacturer said today that it plans to expand its Lexington plant and create 50 jobs over the next three years.
 
Valendrawers, a maker of drawer and door components for the furniture and cabinet industry, plans to invest $1.2 million in the project.

The company will receive a $100,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund if it meets investment and job creation requirements.

The annual average wage for the new jobs will be $31,580, not including benefits, above the Davidson County average of $29,640.
 
“We are very happy to have chosen North Carolina for the new door production.  We have been in North Carolina for 25 years and know that we can count on a great community, in particular on skilled and dedicated workers," Piero Della Valentina, Valendrawers president, said in a statement.

Valendrawers was founded in 1985 in Lexington. The expansion will allow the company to start production of cabinet doors using a new and advanced technology.

David Germann of Clayton shot a tournament-best 70 in the final round and tied for second overall in the 10th annual Tarheel Youth Golf Association Tour Championship played Aug. 11 at the Sapona Country Club in Lexington.

Andrew London of Monroe took a two-stroke overall victory, shooting a final-round 75 for a 147 total, according to a TYGA news release.

Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that a Mississippi furniture company will open a third North Carolina facility and create 150 jobs over the next three years.

United Furniture Industries NC LLC, a manufacturer of sofas, chairs, recliners and sleepers, will invest more than $3.3 million in a facility in Lexington.

Salaries for the new jobs will vary by job function, but the new positions will pay an average annual wage of $29,032, not including benefits.

The Davidson County average annual wage is $29,640.  

United Furniture is receiving a $125,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.

United Furniture Industries NC is a subsidiary of United Furniture Industries Inc., headquartered in Okolona, Miss. The company currently has five locations, including three in Mississippi and two in North Carolina. 

The North Carolina facilities, located in Archdale and High Point, employ about 400 people.

United Furniture plans to purchase the vacant Stanley Furniture distribution facility in Lexington.  The company will assemble frame materials, foam and upholstered material from outside vendors into finished furniture products.  

“Davidson County and Lexington were chosen as a result of availability of facilities and workforce, cooperation of state and local officials, and proximity to our existing North Carolina facilities and our customer base,” said Larry George, president of United Furniture Industries, in a release.

“We look forward to continuing our growth and presence in North Carolina and would like to thank all of those involved in making this happen.”

See a gallery of photos from Lexington, N.C. by staff photojournalist Robert Willett