CONCORD: The Department of Revenue Administration has reported that receipts from both the business profits tax and the business enterprise tax totaled $32.5 million in November — above estimates by $22.1 million, indicating that the state’s businesses appear to be weathering the pandemic in better shape than expected. Year-to-date, business taxes have produced $258.7 million, which is $55.8 million more than a year ago, and $60.5 million above the budget plan for a balanced budget at the end of the biennium June 30. All told, revenue collections was $141.3 million, or $27.8 million more than the budget plan for November.

WEST LEBANON: In a sign of confidence in one of the state’s key border shopping regions, plans have been submitted to the city of Lebanon to begin work on converting the former Kmart store on in West Lebanon into a Target store. The Valley News reported that Baltimore-based Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. is planning to build a “small-format” Target at the site of the former Kmart store. Smaller Target stores are typically aimed at urban markets but also to college towns, according to the company.

KEENE: Construction has begun on Keene’s first medical marijuana dispensary — more than a year after its previously projected opening date. Temescal Wellness said in a press release it expects to open the facility in April 2021 at 69 Island St. Currently, the two closest options for people in the Monadnock Region are the dispensaries in Merrimack, almost 50 miles from Keene, and in Lebanon, nearly 70 miles away.

DOVER: The Dover City Council has begun discussing the idea of entering into a public-private partnership with Dover-based Popzup Popcorn that would involve the city building a new facility for the expanding company. Foster’s Daily Democrat reported that the city can use an economic tool that allows a municipality to “purchase land, build a building and lease the building, with the option to lease to own, back to the company,” City Manager Mike Joyal explained. The initiative would include “a lease-to-purchase program with this business,” Joyal said.

MANCHESTER: Six Manchester businesses have received $5,000 each in the first round of the Manchester Small Business Resiliency Grant Program. Mayor Joyce Craig announced the grants, designed to help small businesses recover from Covid-related impacts, were awarded to Patz Deli, CoCo Beauty Salon, The Smoothie Bus Shoppe, McGill’s Inc., Lumiere LLC and Tidewater Catering Group. The Manchester Small Business Resiliency Grants can be used for such expenses as online sales upgrades, payroll, utilities and rent, the mayor said.

MANCHESTER: Manchesterbased ecoText, a company that helps students access cheaper digital textbooks, has won a $200,000 investment from the Millworks II investment fund during the New Hampshire Tech Alliance’s annual Innovation Summit. The Millworks II fund, a collective of 40 investors who work with the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority, invests in one winning company every year at the summit following a pitch competition. The company allows students, for a small fee, to get access opensource textbooks and books in the public domain, gathered in one place to read on a computer or tablet. The company hopes to eventually work with for-profit textbook companies to make digital copies available at low cost to students.

NORTH CONWAY: Michael Mitchroney, most recently assistant general manger of Simon Property Group’s 1-million-square-foot, 200-store Orlando International Premium Outlets and Orlando Outlet Marketplace in Orlando, Fla., has been named the new general manger of Settlers Green in North Conway. He succeeds Dot Seybold, the GM of the well-known Mt. Washington Valley shopping destination for nearly 30 years. Seybold announced her plans to retire at the end of the year several months ago.

CONCORD: The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission recently approved changes to the Residential Low Income Gas Assistance Program, which provides a discount to low-income Granite Staters who are struggling to afford their gas bills. The program will now provide eligible customers a discount of 45% on certain bill charges between Nov. 1 and April 30, 2021. The changes were the result of a unanimous settlement between New Hampshire Legal Assistance, the Community Action Program, Office of Consumer Advocate and the Public Utilities Commission staff.