CONCORD: The state Department of Health and Human Services has announced its plan to use an additional $29 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act to support the state’s child care industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. The number of child care providers in the state shrunk considerably during Covid, driven in large part by a severe workforce shortage. The state’s plan will focus on strengthening the child care workforce, development of partnerships with businesses and employers, building child care provider capacity and ensuring equitable access to child care, among other goals.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Gov. Chris Sununu met May 11 with officials of the U.S. State Department to discuss the state’s need for J-1 visas, which are granted to temporary foreign workers who work at seasonal businesses. The program has been facing delays because of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Before the visit, the governor sent a bipartisan letter with the governors of Maine and Utah asking the federal government to speed up interviews and remove application limits.

MANCHESTER: Heather McGrail, who’s been serving for the last several months as interim president and CEO of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, has been officially appointed to the position. McGrail has worked for the chamber since 2017, most recently served as its vice president of membership and community partnerships before being named to the interim CEO role after the departure of Mike Skelton, who left the organization to become president of the Business & Industry Association.

PORTSMOUTH: The Oar House, one of Portsmouth’s dining landmarks, has been purchased by Casey Anderson, owner of the Purple Urchin in Hampton Beach. Seacoast Online reported that it’s the first time in decades that the iconic restaurant has changed hands. The 58 Ceres St. eatery was established in the historic Merchant Row building in the mid-1970s. Its previous owners, Raymond Guerin and Peter DiZoglio, purchased the fine-dining restaurant in the 1990s.

CONCORD: The NH Bankers Association is praising the NH House’s passage of Senate Bill 385, which would allow delays in transactions to help combat financial exploitation. The bill, which has already been passed by the Senate, now heads to the governor’s desk. The proposal is similar to SB 252, which passed in 2019 and allows broker-dealers to place a 15-day hold on transactions. Kristy Merrill, president of the Association, called the legislation “vitally important in helping to combat financial exploitation of some of our state’s most vulnerable citizens.”

MANCHESTER: Bank of America, Bellwether Community Credit Union, the New London Inn and The Factory on Willow were honored May 11 with 2022 NH Business Committee for the Arts Awards. The winners were honored for their support of the arts and culture through donations of time, money and resources. Also honored were artist James Chase, who won the Bayberry Financial Services Artrepreneur Award, as well as the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, which received the Northeast Delta Dental Artsbuild Community Award.

CONCORD: A hybrid event, “Equitable and Affordable Healthcare: A Shared Responsibility,” will be presented from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 22 by the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law. The event will feature panels on the “Growing Worry about Rising Costs and Inequities in the U.S. Healthcare System” and “State Action to Address Healthcare Affordability & Equity” in New England as well as a discussion on “Our Shared Responsibility.” The event is hosted by Lucy C. Hodder of the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law Institute for Health Policy and Practice; Jo Porter, director of the Institute for Health Policy and Practice; and Deborah Fournier, senior associate, Institute for Health Policy and Practice. For more information, visit chhs.unh.edu/institute-health-policy-practice.

CONCORD: The state of New Hampshire will be receiving over $683,000 as part of a national $141 million settlement with Intuit Inc., the company behind the TurboTax tax-filing program. Under the terms of a settlement signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states, Intuit will suspend TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ad campaign and pay restitution to nearly 4.4 million taxpayers. Under the agreement, consumers are expected to receive a direct payment of approximately $30 for each year that they were deceived into paying for filing services. They will automatically receive notices and checks by mail.