Midday Newscast: March 18, 2008

Members of the state employees’ union say they’re uneasy about a plan that would eliminate 400 jobs from the state work force; legislators are trying to settle some sharp differences today about how to promote new home construction; 500 fewer businesses registered with Vermont’s secretary of state in 2007 than in previous years; the weak U.S. dollar has meant a big jump in the number of foreign visitors to Vermont’s ski resorts.