Midday Newscast: January 23, 2009

The Vermont House recommends a cut in the statewide property tax rate next year; in the Senate, a wide-ranging bill that would crack down on sex crimes won final approval earlier today; IBM’s Vermont factory is hurting; Vermont could become the first state with a "smart" electric grid.

Interview: Eric Savitz on IBM

We’re taking a closer look this morning at IBM’s Essex Junction plant, and we turn to Eric Savitz. Savitz writes the "Tech Trader Daily" blog for the on-line version of Barron’s Magazine, published by the Wall Street Journal.