Bracco Imaging will invest $230 million and create 200 jobs in Sanford, establishing the Italian company’s first United States manufacturing plant for injectable contrast media.

The facility will help Bracco serve growing American demand while shortening delivery times and transportation costs, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Contrast media are pharmaceutical products used to improve visibility during diagnostic scans.

The project will add manufacturing, engineering, technical, quality, warehousing, administrative and support positions. The jobs are expected to pay an average of about $103,000 annually, roughly 72% above Lee County’s private-sector average, while generating more than $20.6 million in yearly payroll.

North Carolina approved a performance-based Job Development Investment Grant worth up to $2.86 million over 12 years. Payments will occur only after Bracco meets hiring and investment targets. State analysts estimate the project will add $1.78 billion to North Carolina’s economy and return $4.97 in state revenue for every public dollar spent.

The project previously operated under the code name “Project Sunshine.” Lee County approved incentives expected to total about $3.77 million, while Sanford considered a similar package of up to $3.2 million. The payments are tied to property taxes and company performance.

Bracco, founded in Milan in 1927, develops contrast agents, medical devices and diagnostic imaging products used in more than 100 countries. The company said the United States is its largest market and domestic production will strengthen its supply chain for hospitals and patients.

The announcement adds to Sanford’s expanding manufacturing and life sciences industry. STERIS announced a $600 million, 335-job health care manufacturing center in August, while Caterpillar recently committed $1 billion to a new Sanford factory.

Bracco’s decision gives Lee County another high-wage employer and strengthens Sanford’s emergence as a manufacturing hub beyond the Triangle’s traditional core.

Two companies are closing North Carolina operations and eliminating 295 jobs, adding to a string of recent layoffs across the Piedmont Triad.

Sealy Mattress Manufacturing Company will permanently close its Trinity manufacturing site by Dec. 31, affecting 114 employees, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s 2026 WARN list. The plant has operated in Randolph County since 1998 and produces Sealy and Stearns & Foster mattresses.

Parent company Tempur Sealy said the decision reflects changing customer demand and business needs. Research, product development and corporate office roles at the site are not affected. Randolph County Economic Development President Kevin Franklin said local agencies, NCWorks, and Randolph Community College will help displaced workers pursue training and new employment.

Food distributor Foster is closing its North Carolina facilities after suddenly losing its largest customer. The shutdown will eliminate 169 jobs in Winston-Salem and 12 in Greenville.

Foster said its principal account, which represented about 70% of the company’s business, notified the distributor Oct. 14 that it would terminate its contract Nov. 11. The company lost another customer responsible for roughly 10% of its business. Thirty-six employees were dismissed Oct. 25, another 121 are scheduled to leave Nov. 8, and the remaining workers will depart in stages through March 5.

The company cited an “unforeseeable business circumstance” for providing some workers only four days’ notice. Federal law generally requires qualifying employers to provide 60 days’ notice before a mass layoff or plant closure, though exceptions exist for sudden circumstances beyond an employer’s control.

The new losses follow Pella Corporation’s announcement that it will close its Reidsville window-and-door plant and eliminate 133 jobs by January. Together, the decisions deepen concerns about manufacturing and distribution employment in a region long built around those industries.

Five people were killed in four separate shootings across Charlotte over the weekend, leaving three cases without announced arrests and one murder suspect in custody.

The violence began around 3 a.m. Saturday when officers found 35-year-old Zachary Howie fatally shot on High Meadow Lane near Interstate 77, according to WBTV’s incident roundup. About 14 hours later, 52-year-old Abdullah Hamid was shot at a home on Simril Court and died at a hospital. Police had not announced arrests in either case as of noon Oct. 26.

A third shooting occurred around 11 p.m. Saturday on Altliff Court in University City. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said 47-year-old Thomas McDonald was found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives arrested 25-year-old Andrea Cole and charged her with first-degree murder. The charge is an allegation, and Cole is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The deadliest incident unfolded shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday at an industrial park on Ridge Creek Drive near Carowinds Boulevard. Four people were shot. A 16-year-old and 19-year-old Ariel Isaac Rodriquez-Pineda died at the scene, while two other teenagers were hospitalized with life-threatening and non-life-threatening injuries. No suspect or motive had been announced.

Three of the four shootings occurred in the police department’s Steele Creek Division, where residents called the concentration of violence alarming.

The weekend follows mixed citywide trends. Police reported violent crime fell 15% through September, while homicides increased 10%, from 60 to 66. The department reported a 78% homicide clearance rate.

Anyone with information may call homicide detectives at 704-432-8477 or submit an anonymous tip through Charlotte Crime Stoppers.