HAMPTON BEACH: A pilot program has been launched to bring young Native Americans to the Granite State to work at Hampton Beach alongside students from other countries over the summer. Businesses that rely on the summer tourism season in New Hampshire usually staff up with international students in the J-1 visa program, but many from Russia and Ukraine are having some difficulties because of the war, said John Nyhan, president of the Hampton Area Chamber. Under the new pilot program, he said, members of the chamber and state officials are heading to South Dakota to meet with members of the Lakota tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Nyhan said that if the season goes well, the goal would be to bring in more people from the Pine Ridge Reservation in the future to other parts of the state.

CONCORD: The NH Senate has voted to revive a food assistance program that would provide coupons for moms and children to purchase fresh local food at designated farmers markets. Proponents said it could benefit the approximately 10,000 low-income families currently served by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (often called WIC). Families whose income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level qualify for the program.

NEW LONDON: Joseph A. DiClerico Jr., a federal judge who served on the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire for three decades, has died at 81. The cause of death was not disclosed. “He was the consummate trial judge: patient, wise, fair, kind, and humble,” current Chief Judge Landya McCafferty said in a statement. “He was also a judge’s judge, possessing attributes that many of his state and federal judicial colleagues sought to emulate over the past four decades.” DiClerico was nominated to the federal bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1992, and served as the court’s chief judge from 1992 to 1997. He assumed senior status in 2007.

CONCORD: New Hampshire is the ninth most innovative state in the nation, according to a survey by WalletHub. The personal finance website put together its rankings by comparing 22 different measurements in the categories of human capital and innovation environment. Among them were the share of STEM professionals in the workforce, expected future demand for STEM-related jobs, math and science performance of students, percentage of tech companies in the economy and venture-capital funding per capita. Washington, D.C. was found to be the most innovative place in the U.S. in 2022, followed by Massachusetts and Washington state. At No. 9, New Hampshire was right behind Delaware and ahead of Utah at No. 10.

NASHUA: Primary Bank opened its fourth branch, this one in Nashua, and held a grand opening on March 21. The branch is located at 327 Amherst St. The bank’s headquarters is located in Bedford along with branches in Derry and Manchester. The new location is a full-service branch and offers a comprehensive product and service line, including commercial checking, money market and savings products, merchant services, commercial lending, consumer deposit accounts, CDs and IRAs, according to a news release.

HANOVER: Dartmouth College students who work at the campus’ dining halls have unanimously voted to form a union. Called the Student Worker Collective at Dartmouth, the new union will represent undergraduate students who work for Dartmouth Dining Services’ 11 dining locations. The 52 “yes” votes represent a little more than a third of undergraduate student dining workers on campus. Efforts to form the union began in January in response to working conditions that were amplified during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, including staff shortages, long lines and unpaid sick leave.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: New Hampshire will be receiving nearly $9.5 million through the federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program, the four members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation announced.

The program provides funding for nonprofits, states and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals, families and youth, as well as individuals fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Recipients include Families in Transition, Southwestern Community Services, Waypoint, the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Easterseals New Hampshire, Harbor Homes Inc. and YWCA New Hampshire.